New genomic technologies are revolutionizing biological research. RNA-seq is a recently developed high-throughput sequencing technology that provides scientists with much more detail how genes are regulated and expressed than any earlier technology. New tools developed by Professor Gordon Smyth are allowing researchers to use RNA-Seq technology to more accurately determine which genes are genuinely changing in the development of cancers and in response to cancer treatments.
The majority of deaths from cancers are due to metastasis. MicroRNAs are gene regulators involved in shaping cellular properties and are known to control metastasis. My work will lead to understanding how the production of microRNAs in cancer cells is controlled, what the major functions of microRNAs are in cancer cells and the discovery of pathways that may be amenable to new forms of therapeutic intervention in cancer.
Discovery And Translation Of Disease Causing Mutations With Genomic And Transcriptomic Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$622,655.00
Summary
This proposal will develop and apply methods for the analysis of genetic data generated from family and cohort studies of collaborators to identify genetic risk loci for both neurogenetic disorders and infectious diseases, particularly malaria. The project will combine large-scale datasets of different types and across different species. This will require the development and application of multivariate statistical analysis methods suited to the data.
Clinical Application Of Genomic Approaches For Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$707,370.00
Summary
Cancer is the cause of 1 in 8 deaths worldwide. Cancer occurs due to errors or mutations in the DNA of normal cells. I will identify the mutations in tumour cells, which will tell us: i) How the tumour started and grew ii) How to treat the tumour and kill the cancer The work involves a variety of cancer types including mesothelioma, melanoma, oesophageal and breast cancer. The overall aim is to apply some of the research findings or approaches into patient care to improve patient survival.
Computational Approaches To Making Sense Of Cancer -omics Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$706,370.00
Summary
Evolution is a hallmark of cancer. It underlies tumorigenesis, metastasis, disease progression, the emergence of drug resistance, and patient death. My research will develop the essential bioinformatics methods and computational models to understand cancer evolution using -omics data, and apply these to discover the molecular mechanisms that cause complex genome rearrangements; investigate the evolution of advanced melanoma; and translate our tools and discoveries into the clinical setting.
This project involves a unique interdisciplinary approach combining bioinformatics, biostatistics and mathematical biology to better understand the dynamics of infection and immunity. Using data from in vitro studies, animal models, and human infections, I aim to understand immune control and pathogen growth and evolution in HIV and malaria infection.
We have entered an era where it is now possible to sequence an individual's genetic blueprint. In the case of cancer this can be used to determine the genetic damage that has occurred in cancer cells. This fellowship seeks to carry out large scale sequencing of cancer patient and map out the genetic damage that is common to get a handle on what drives the disease. It will also investigate how personalized mutation detection might improve cancer treatment selection for individual patients.
Mental illness is the largest single cause of disability in Australia. While mental illness is increasingly recognised as a disorder of the brain, a patient’s diagnosis, treatment and prediction of course of outcome is seldom guided by the results of a biological test. My research aims to combine the power of modern brain imaging and cutting-edge bioinformatics to enable a biological approach to the problem of mental illness.
My research is aimed at understanding how the structure and dynamics of proteins dictates their function. I use X-ray crystallography to determine the shapes of proteins. Proteins are not static, however - they move in complicated ways, and often their motion is critical to their function (molecular motors, for example). It is very difficult to 'watch' this movement in the lab, so I use computer simulation to try to understand how proteins move.
I am a biochemist focussed on understanding how the structures of proteins determine their functions. I intend to apply this understanding to medically relevant questions by working collaboratively and using a range of complementary structural, computational and cell biology techniques. In particular, I will focus on proteins involved in infection and immunity, to understand how they work, and contribute to the development of drugs and vaccines.