Develop New Approaches To Cancer Diagnosis And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,000,000.00
Summary
Apoptosis is the dominant focus of our planned studies, because its impairment is both a critical step towards malignancy and a barrier to effective treatment. Arguably, the laboratory heads within our division and our collaborators from the Structure Biology Division at WEHI constitute the world’s strongest group with this focus. Our accumulated experience in this field from its renaissance in 1988 and the many unique materials they have created superbly position us to answer the fundamental qu ....Apoptosis is the dominant focus of our planned studies, because its impairment is both a critical step towards malignancy and a barrier to effective treatment. Arguably, the laboratory heads within our division and our collaborators from the Structure Biology Division at WEHI constitute the world’s strongest group with this focus. Our accumulated experience in this field from its renaissance in 1988 and the many unique materials they have created superbly position us to answer the fundamental questions and translate them into new therapeutic approaches. Our team’s second focus, the links of stem cells to cancer, is also of great importance, because the rare stem cells in the tumour may dictate therapeutic outcome. This Fellowship aims to addresses fundamental issues with enormous potential for medicine. It builds on productive ongoing research by a team with diverse complementary expertise, a record of effective interaction, high momentum and a history of path-breaking discoveries. I plan to maintain and further develop our Division (the Molecular Genetics of Cancer Division at WEHI) as one of the strongest teams for cancer research and development of cancer therapies in the world. Our division contains several laboratories that are highly interactive and complimentary in their approaches and research interests. I plan to strengthen the already highly productive laboratories in our division and to develop some new ones (see below under ‘proposed team’). I plan to increase work of our division to also include studies on other solid tumours (e.g. colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer). This Fellowships aims to greatly enhance cancer research and hopefully also clinical practice in Australia. This should enhance the reputation of Australia as a country with recognized excellence in medical research and clinical practice. I am also confident that our division will continue to educate outstanding PhD graduates and postdoctoral fellows who will in due course become independent researchers and develop into future leaders in medical research in Australia and-or overseas.Read moreRead less
I am a molecular-cell biologist determining the molecular regulation, cellular localisation and function of tumour suppressor proteins in cancer. We aim to elucidate pathways that can ultimately be targeted for intervention in breast and colon cancer.
Assessment Of Mismatch Repair Gene Sequence Variants For Clinical Relevance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$472,659.00
Summary
Mutations in mismatch repair genes cause familial cancer. A number of families carry sequence changes that do not obviously alter the gene product, and it is difficult to predict whether these variants are the direct cause of cancer in the family. Consequently, it is not possible to offer informative genetic counselling to these families. We aim to assess the value of several web-based programs, with additional information, to predict the functional changes determined for a panel of variants.
Studies Of Genetic Predisposition To Develop Serrated Neoplasia In The Colorectum.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$308,291.00
Summary
Colorectal Cancer was once believed to develop only from a certain kind of polyp in the colon called the adenoma. However, recently another type of polyp called the hyperplastic polyp was found to also be capable of producing a cancer. In this proposal, we will look at the possibility that the predisposition to form hyperplastic polyps may be inherited in families.
Regulated Shuttling Of Beta-catenin And IQGAP1 Between Nucleus And Plasma Membrane In Migrating Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$511,703.00
Summary
Inherited gene mutations that cause colon cancer kill 4,700 Australians every year. About 1 in 21 Australians develop colorectal cancer by age 75. Activation of the beta-catenin protein is a critical switch in the path to colon cancer. We discovered that beta-catenin, and another protein it interacts with called IQGAP1, move between different cellular compartments. We plan to study this process in more detail, as it relates to how beta-catenin works and to understanding its role in cancer.
Regulation Of Beta-catenin Localisation And Its Role In Tumour Cell Migration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$271,758.00
Summary
Colon cancer and melanoma are a major health problem and a cause of many cancer-associated deaths. Germ-line mutations in the genes encoding beta-catenin, APC and Axin increase the risk of activating beta-catenin and initiating the progression of colon cancer. A proportion of melanomas correlate with mutation of the beta-catenin gene. The beta-catenin protein is multi-functional; it can work at the outer cell membrane to help cells adhere to one another in an orderly manner, or it can move into ....Colon cancer and melanoma are a major health problem and a cause of many cancer-associated deaths. Germ-line mutations in the genes encoding beta-catenin, APC and Axin increase the risk of activating beta-catenin and initiating the progression of colon cancer. A proportion of melanomas correlate with mutation of the beta-catenin gene. The beta-catenin protein is multi-functional; it can work at the outer cell membrane to help cells adhere to one another in an orderly manner, or it can move into the nucleus where it is involved in activating genes that trigger cancer progression. We are interested in a novel aspect of beta-catenin localisation, when it is present at flexible parts of the cell membrane which are usually associated with active cell migration. In this study we aim to determine whether a fraction of membrane-bound beta-catenin contributes to cell movement or tumour cell invasion. We also will extend our study of the intracellular movement of beta-catenin, to understand how its movement out of the nucleus is regulated by different modifications of the protein, or by damage caused to DNA. This information will increase our understanding of beta-catenin regulation and function, and if successful may lead to identifying new pathways that could be targeted to alter beta-catenin action in cancer cells.Read moreRead less
Targeting Of The APC Tumour Suppressor To Mitochondria: Implications For APC Regulation And Cellular Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,116.00
Summary
Inherited mutations in the APC gene cause colon cancer, and kills 4,700 Australians every year. About 1 in 21 Australians develop colorectal cancer by the age of 75. APC mutations change cells in different ways, triggering the cancer process. We have discovered a new pathway, involving altered movement of APC to mitochondria in tumour cells. This study will investigate how this cancerous change may help our understanding of colon cancer progression.
New High-risk Variants For Colorectal Cancer: The Post-GWAS Era
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$710,105.00
Summary
Our aim is to discover new genes that greatly increase bowel cancer risk. If we can identify these carriers we may be able to prevent them getting cancer. By studying DNA related to bowel cancer, using a novel family design, we will identify families most likely to carry the new genes. We will focus genetic testing, using new techniques, to look for mutations in these prioritised families. Identified mutations will be tested in a 3,500 bowel cancer cases to see how important they are.
Inherited determinants of cancer aetiology. Family history of cancer is a strong risk factor for many cancers. This project will aim to identify inherited factors influencing risk of developing cancer and those factors influencing the course of the disease and outcomes.