An exciting area of drug discovery involves targeting Hippo pathway proteins, particularly one called YAP, which were discovered by members of our research team and which are highly active in some cancer cells, making them grow and spread. We will test whether YAP is a potential drug target to prevent or treat melanoma, a deadly type of cancer that usually arises in the skin but also internal organs and the eye. If so, we would fast-track these drugs for testing in patients via clinical trials.
Transcriptional Effectors Of Oncogenic ERK Signaling In Colorectal Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$820,776.00
Summary
This project aims to unravel how one of the most frequently deregulated molecular pathways in colorectal cancer controls the expression of genes required for these tumours to grow and spread. We expect this work to uncover novel therapeutic targets to effectively inactivate this pathway and biomarkers to select patients most likely to benefit from existing therapies.
Each year, 18,000 Australian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. While current treatments are designed to directly target cancer cells, the tumour-associated stroma is also recognised to play a pivotal in the establishment and progression of prostate cancer. This grant aims to investigate the contribution of stromal Hedgehog signalling, with the view to creating new treatment strategies that will treat the entire tumor environment.
Investigation Of DUSP5 As A Novel Tumour Suppressor Gene In Colon Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$578,268.00
Summary
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related death in Australia. Understanding the genetic causes of this disease are essential to developing new treatment strategies. The goal of this study is to understand the role of the DUSP5 gene in colon cancer. The findings of this study has the potential to further our understanding of how colon cancers arise and for identifying patients likely to respond to specific existing treatments.
Defining The Function Of ROCK In Establishing A Tumour-promoting Microenvironment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$611,950.00
Summary
Cancer’s spread from its primary to secondary sites causes most cancer-related deaths. As cancers grow and spread, their internal structure is modified. Immune cells within the cancer begin to behave differently to the same types of cells in normal tissues, promoting its spread. We have discovered that many of these changes are regulated by a protein called ROCK. We plan to study how ROCK controls such a wide range of tumour promoting processes.
Cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed & developing world. Underpinning the causes of cancer are genetic and cellular changes in key structural proteins that control cell growth and movement. My research aims to discover key links in the regulation of these proteins that lead to tumour formation, metastasis and drug resistance. My goal is to use this knowledge to develop effective and less toxic treatment strategies to target difficult-to-treat cancers.
Identifying And Characterizing Genes That Regulate Breast Tumorigenesis And Metastasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Summary
I am a breast cancer biologist. My research focuses on identifying the changes in normal cells that allow cancer to form, and identifying the changes in cancer cells that allows them to spread. To accomplish this, I have developed new methods using mouse models of breast cancer. My goal is to use these methods to further our understanding of the causes of breast cancer development and progression.
Characterisation Of A Novel Oncogene In Breast Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,118,325.00
Summary
Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women in Australia. Cancer cells are able to spread to other sites in the body by a process known as metastasis which is the leading cause of breast cancer death. We have identified a gene which controls breast cancer metastasis and thereby may affect disease outcome. This grant aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which this gene regulates breast cancer metastasis.