Huyen Phan
Dr
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy
huyen.phan@wimr.org.au
Biography
Dr. Thanh Huyen Phan is a biomedical scientist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, where she collaborates with clinicians at Westmead Hospital to advance translational research in amyloidosis. She completed her PhD in Medicine and Health at The University of Sydney in 2022, supported by a University International Scholarship, and holds a B.Sc. with First Class Honours in Biomedical Science from the University of Queensland. During her time at The University of Sydney, she was the inventor of two provisional patents on extracellular vesicle-based therapeutics for lung diseases.
She has published 12 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals, with several as first author, and has presented her work at more than 20 national and international conferences. Her contributions have been recognised with multiple awards, including the Leece Prize 2024, Best Oral Presentation at the Student Network on EVs (SNEV) meeting, Best Oral Presentation at the EMCR Symposium at Westmead Hospital Week, and Best Poster Presentation at the Bioprocessing Network (BPN) conference. She has also been awarded six competitive grants (1 CIA, 3 CIB, and 2 AI) totaling $185,000 for her research and has established collaborations with world-leading experts and four industry partners (Cytiva, RoosterBio, CNBio, and Locsense).
Research interests
Immunology, Amyloidosis
Additional information
Dr. Thanh Huyen Phan’s research centers on translational approaches to amyloid diseases, with a particular focus on light-chain (AL) amyloidosis. She aims to develop innovative liquid biopsy-based diagnostics to enable earlier detection and improve patient outcomes. Her work also investigates the role of macrophages in amyloid clearance, with the goal of designing cell-based or immunomodulatory therapies to prevent organ dysfunction and disease progression.
In addition to her work in amyloidosis, Dr. Phan has extensive experience in extracellular vesicle (EV) biology, including production, purification, and characterization of EVs for therapeutic applications in chronic lung diseases.
Projects:
- Development of Liquid Biopsies to Transform the Diagnosis and Treatment of Amyloidosis
Current grants
| Provost’s Capital Equipment (CAPEX) and Contingency Fund | 2023 | |
| Medical Advances Without Animals (MAWA) | 2022 | |
| Medical Advances Without Animals (MAWA) | 2020 | |
| SPARK program seed funding and mentorship | 2021 | |
| Utrecht University Partnership Collaboration Award, The University of Sydney | 2018 |
Professional Associations and Organisations
| Adjunct Associate Lecturer | School of Medical Sciences (SOMS) |
Awards and recognition
| John and Anne Leece Prize (2024) – Top EMCR at WIMR |
| The University of Sydney EMCR outstanding publication 2023 |
| Sydney Pharmacy School HDR paper of the year in pharmaceutical science 2021 |
| University of Sydney Drug Discovery Initiative Early Career Research Award for 0-3 years post-PhD |
| Best oral presentation at Student Network of Extracellular Vesicle 2021 and EMCR symposium 2024 |
| Best poster presentation at Bioprocessing Network Conference 2022 |
| Disease Models and Mechanisms Conference Travel Grant 2021 |
| Travel grant for outstanding ECRs to attend the invited ISA workshop 2023 |
| Young investigators travel grant to attend the International Society of Amyloidosis (ISA) 2024. |
