EphA3 Is A Marker Of Glioma Stem/progenitor Cells And A Potential Target For Therapy.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$585,860.00
Summary
EphA3 is a cell surface marker which is enriched on glioma ‘propagating’ stem cells (GSCs) and furthermore has a functional role in regulating GSC differentiation and fate determination. EphA3 therefore provides a novel therapeutic target for high-grade glioma.
Dissecting The Roles Of Steroid Hormone Receptors In The Mammary Gland
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$92,314.00
Summary
Breast cancer remains a major cause of death in women, requiring the development of highly efficient therapeutics. Research into the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the normal mammary gland is crucial. This project will increase our understanding of the normal roles of the estrogen and progesterone receptors. This research may have significant implications for clinical studies that use more targeted therapies.
Targeting Microtubules To Overcome Chemoresistance In Pancreatic Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$594,336.00
Summary
Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with a dismal prognosis because it is extremely resistant to chemotherapy agents. We plan to examine the expression of proteins called microtubules in pancreatic cancer and assess their role in drug resistance. It is anticipated that the findings of these studies will lead to the development of effective approaches to sensitise the cancer cells to chemotherapy agents.
Delineating Mechanisms Of Acquired Resistance To Kinase Inhibitors And Devising Novel Strategies To Combat Therapeutic Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,034.00
Summary
Kinase inhibitors are some of the most successful anti-cancer agents that have emerged in the last 15 years. However, tumors become resistant to these drugs after showing initial response. Understanding mechanisms through which cancer cells become resistant to these drugs will allow us to develop effective strategies to counter it and achieve sustained responses to cancer therapy. I propose to build a research program to systematically study these mechanisms to improve cancer therapeutics.
Clinicopathological Characterisation Of Male Breast Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$113,322.00
Summary
Male Breast Cancer is an uncommon and poorly understood disease. Due to its low frequency, there is a paucity of studies with large numbers of patients. Our aim will be to establish one of the largest worldwide databases of Male Breast Cancer. This will allow us to more thoroughly investigate clinical, pathological and molecular characteristics of male breast cancer, improve treatment of these patients and potentially develop novel and innovative strategies for treatment of female breast cancer.
Companion Biomarker And Therapeutic Strategy Development For Pancreatic Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$121,031.00
Summary
Innovation of predictive and responsive biomarkers in pancreatic cancer (PC) is of paramount importance. This project contains two parts: 1. Circulating DNA. It has been shown previously that DNA released into the blood stream by cancer can be measured, its usefulness in PC will be assessed. 2. ROCK-I as a predictive biomarker. ROCK-I is a protein involved in cell motility. The ability for ROCK-I amplification to predict for response to ROCK-I inhibitors will be assessed in vitro/in vivo.
Toll-like Receptor 2 Signalling As A Potential Therapeutic Target In Gastric Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$323,091.00
Summary
Stomach cancer is the fourth most deadly cancer in the world. Stomach cancer is closely linked with inflammation, and we have shown that a key inflammatory molecule, called toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), can drive the development of stomach cancer. However, this occurs in a non-inflammatory manner. My research aims to understand how TLR2 is involved in the progression of stomach cancer, with the ultimate goal to find an early biomarker of disease, and to develop better therapies.
Tailoring Targeted Therapy To DNA Repair-defective High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$802,247.00
Summary
Ovarian cancer is a major cause of cancer death in women because current treatments are inadequate. Half of aggressive ovarian cancers have abnormalities in DNA repair and should be susceptible to new PARP inhibitor therapy, yet not all those respond. By developing a new model of studying human ovarian cancers in mice, we can discover markers to predict which ovarian cancers will respond best to these exciting new treatments.
The Oligoadenylate-RNAseL Pathway May Provide A Specific And Low Toxicity Approach To Therapy For Breast Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$439,314.00
Summary
We have discovered that a pathway used to fight viral infections can be triggered to produce massive cell death in the mammary gland. We hope to be able to trigger this response in breast cancers through the strategic combination of available drugs. If successful this project will establish a new therapeutic strategy for breast cancer.
Discovery, Preclinical And Translational Research In Endometrial Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,716.00
Summary
My research program is focused on “bench to bedside” translational research in uterine cancer. Specifically, identifying the genetic aberrations underlying the development of uterine cancer, understanding the function of these genes in normal and cancer cells, providing proof of principle data that drugs targeting these defective proteins induce cancer cell death in vitro and in vivo and identifying factors associated with whether a patient will respond to one particular treatment over another.