Research Trainee Spotlight: Edward Trope

Edward Trope hopes to use his research to help to relieve the financial burden on patient families. “I hope to help reduce the cost and complexity of genetic medicines to enable a wider adoption of gene therapies,” he explains.

Edward grew up in Richmond, Virginia and attended the University of Georgia before moving on to laboratory work. “I always had a strong interest in science, but my current career trajectory was set in my last lab, where I researched gene editing and gene therapy for primary immunodeficiencies,” he says.

“For these devastating genetic diseases, there are often few treatment options available. We now have the ability to cure many genetic diseases, yet the cost of current therapies remains out of reach for most patients.” Edward sought to change this.

He is pursuing this goal in his current role as a PhD student working with Sarah Richman, MD, PhD, in CHLA’s Cancer and Blood Disease Institute. Edward and his team are using ultrasound to control the ability of genetically modified T-cells to attack solid tumors. “We hope that by controlling the location and duration of the T-cell attack on the tumor, we will be able to use much stronger T-cells that could otherwise attack healthy tissue if they were allowed to freely roam around the body,” Edward explains.

Beyond his work in the lab, Edward enjoys fly fishing and letting his dog roam the wilderness.