Cellular And Molecular Determinants Of Preleukaemic And Leukaemic Stem Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$292,635.00
Summary
It has recently become evident that the formation, growth and relapse of many cancers is driven by a rare population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that have the unique ability to propagate new tumours and are highly resistant to current therapies. However, which normal cells are transformed into CSCs is not known. We will take a potent cancer gene found in leukaemia, and switch it on and off in specific blood cells in mice to determine which healthy cells can be turned into leukaemic stem cells.
Exploring Roles For MicroRNAs In Cancer Using Bioinformatics And Gene Expression Tools.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$292,639.00
Summary
microRNAs are newly discovered chemicals that were the subject of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Medicine. These chemicals decrease the amount of specific molecular ‘targets’ in cells, and play an important role in cancer. Currently we do not understand how these chemicals choose their targets, and we propose to use a computer-based approach to discover how they affect genes in cancer. This will improve our understanding of cancer and thereby lead to the discovery of novel anti-cancer therapies.