Pornlada Likasitwatanakul, M.D.
Visiting Scholar ​(2021 - )
M.D., Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand

Background: I was born and raised in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. I am interested in biomedical research since my high school when I participated in the biology Olympiad program. I have finished my M.D. in 2020 from the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Thailand. During my preclinical year, I worked in the cell-cycle lab in the department of pharmacology investigating a new role of CyclinD1 as an anti-senescence protein in cancer cell. Later, when I encountered real cancer patients in the clinic, many of them progressed to resistance state despite multiple lines of treatment. This has inspired me to pursue a career in medical oncology. Last year, I have got the Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program scholarship to do cancer research abroad for 2 years after finishing the medical school. With this funding, I am enthusiastic to join the Sethi Lab in the fall of 2021. Currently, I am working as an intern in the Ratchaburi Hospital in the West of Thailand.
 
Research Interests:  I am interested in cancer heterogeneity and cancer evolution under therapeutic constraint. I am particularly excited about translational research that tackling underlying molecular pathophysiology in order to improve patient outcomes. In the Sethi Lab, I hope to learn and help other researchers doing experiments in many cancer models. I would like to understand a switch that controls differential expression of cancer cells using multi-omics data. I am also determined to learn computational analysis. I am very glad to have chance to participate in such a rich environment for integrated cancer research.
 
Fun Facts and Interests: I have tried many sports from my childhood. Basketball is my favorite, which I play every day during school year but now I only play occasionally. I enjoy doing Tae-kwon-do and Thai boxing. I also like swimming and snorkeling in the Southern sea of Thailand. Now, I regularly go jogging outdoor and my short goal is to run a half-marathon. I love listening to instrumental and classical music.