Deciphering Breast Cancer Heterogeneity To Improve Breast Cancer Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$851,980.00
Summary
Breast cancer is a very heterogeneous disease. Patients are often treated in a ‘one size fits all’ approach, but response to therapy remains quite disparate. To better personalise therapy, there is a pressing need to define the precise cell types and initiating genetic events that give rise to breast cancer. This application is focussed on understanding the molecular and cellular origins of breast cancer, with the potential of identifying new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.
Prof Lindeman's laboratory, co-headed with Dr Visvader, has played an influential role in the identification of mammary stem and progenitor cells, elucidation of the mammary epithelial cell hierarchy and gaining insights into how female hormones regulate mammary gland development and cancer. In parallel, I have established translational research platforms such as patient-derived tumour xenograft (PDX) models, which offer powerful preclinical models to test new drugs.
I am a clinician-scientist engaged in basic, translational and clinical breast cancer research, with the long-term goal to identify and exploit novel cancer targets to improve patient outcomes. My research, which covers both sporadic and hereditary forms of breast cancer, is focussed on elucidating the breast epithelial cell hierarchy, in order to identify key regulators responsible for breast epithelial cell proliferation, differentiation and cancer.
I am a cellular biologist studying lineage commitment and differentiation in the mammary gland. Key interests include defining transcriptional regulators that are important for mammary gland development and oncogenesis, and the characterisation of stem cells and other epithelial cell types in breast tissue.
Hematopoietic Transplants From Autologous Pluripotent Cell Sources
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Summary
This proposal investigates the utility of two types of patient-derived stem cells for transplantation into blood. These are induced pluripotent stem cells that are reprogrammed from specialized tissues such as skin cells, and stem cells derived using the genetic material of oocytes or sperm only ( one-parent embryos). Using the mouse, we are looking at the ability of these cells to form normal blood lineages after transplantation, and to repair blood in a mouse model for beta-thalassemia.
The Role Of Ap2a2 In Self-renewal Of Haematopoietic And Leukemic Stem Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$579,171.00
Summary
The daily replenishment of the blood system is dependent on the blood stem cell. A unique property of these stem cells is self-renewal where the stem cell function is preserved, whilst other daughter cells continue to divide. Our research investigates the molecular mechanisms that regulate stem cell self-renewal. This work has potential clinical application on at least two levels: expansion of stem cells for transplantation, and for attacking abnormal cancer cell self-renewal pathways.