SFRP4 As A Novel Diagnostic And Therapeutic Target For Gastric Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$137,700.00
Summary
Gastric cancer is a common cancer with poor survival, but is and potentially curable when diagnosed at an early stage. However currently there are no non-invasive markers for the early detection of gastric cancer, and treatments for advanced cancer are limited. Secreted frizzled related protein 4 (SFRP4) is a protein that is thought to play a role in invasion of gastric cancer. This study will investigate the utility SFRP4 as a diagnostic test and possible therapeutic for gastric cancer.
Development Of Anti-tropomyosin Drugs For The Treatment Of Melanoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$578,352.00
Summary
Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma worldwide. There is a clear need to develop new strategies as melanoma is unresponsive to current treatment regimes. We have developed a compound, TR100, which targets a specific component of the cytoskeleton of melanoma tumour cells. Disruption of this cytoskeleton leads to decreased tumour cell growth and survival. Understanding the mechanism by which TR100 causes cell death is important if this novel anti-cancer compound is to be used in the cli ....Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma worldwide. There is a clear need to develop new strategies as melanoma is unresponsive to current treatment regimes. We have developed a compound, TR100, which targets a specific component of the cytoskeleton of melanoma tumour cells. Disruption of this cytoskeleton leads to decreased tumour cell growth and survival. Understanding the mechanism by which TR100 causes cell death is important if this novel anti-cancer compound is to be used in the clinic.Read moreRead less
Real-time Imaging Of Cell Cycle Progression In Melanoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,911.00
Summary
Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer and is highly therapy resistant, reasons of which are poorly understood. Here we hypothesise that differences in the growth capacity of melanoma cells in different tumour regions contribute to therapy resistance. We will use a novel microscopic system that allows us to visualise division of individual melanoma cells in intact tumours in real time. Using this system, we will test the effects of targeted therapies on melanoma cell growth and survival.
The Fellowship would support Professor Bowtell, one of the world’s leading ovarian cancer researchers. His work focuses on clinical problems of chemotherapy resistance and the development of new therapeutic approaches. His studies are underpinned by the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS), one of the world’s most sophisticated clinical cohort studies of ovarian cancer, with over 3000 Australian women enrolled.
Apoptosis And Stem/Progenitor Cells In The Development And Treatment Of Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$21,809,604.00
Summary
To improve cancer therapy, we are studying two cancer hallmarks. The first is excessive cell survival. To combat this, we are developing drugs with commercial partners that directly activate the cell's death machinery. The second hallmark is inexorable proliferation, akin to that of stem cells, which can generate entire tissues, as we showed for the breast. ‘Rogue’ stem-like cells may initiate certain cancers. We hope to advance cancer therapy by identifying such cells and drugs that kill them.
Regulation Of ERK Driven Cell Proliferation By The Actin Cytoskeleton
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$920,972.00
Summary
The cells in your body respond to external signals and control their proliferation by transmitting signals from one part of the cell to another. This has usually been thought to involve the movement of signals through a liquid medium without the involvement of any machinery to control the movement. The project aims to test the role of the architecture of the cells in physically moving a growth signal from one place to another. We think that the architecture involved plays a key role in cancer.
Novel Inhibition Of Cancer Cell Growth In Gastrointestinal Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$47,474.00
Summary
This research project will focus on new treatment targets for gastrointestinal malignancies, focusing on the mTOR pathway which is important in driving cancer cell growth. The mTOR inhibitor drug Everolimus will be used in colon and biliary tract cancers to look for novel biomarkers of response and resistance to treatment, using cancer cell lines and correlative analysis with data obtained from patients' tumour samples and clinical assessment in current trials.
Real-time Optical Window Imaging Of AKT-FRET Biosensor Mice To Maximise PI3K/AKT Drug Targeting Within The Hypoxic Microenvironment Of Pancreatic Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$683,447.00
Summary
Inefficient drug response in solid tumour tissue is often a limiting factor in the clinical effectiveness of cancer therapies. Using cutting-edge imaging technology and 3D models that mimic the disease, we have mapped areas of poor drug response within distinct regions of tumours with low oxygen levels known as hypoxia. Here, we will specifically target factors limiting efficient drug targeting in these areas to improve the encouraging anti-cancer profile of AKT inhibitors in pancreatic cancer.
Molecular Pathways Mediating The Anti-tumour Activity Of WIF1
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$462,342.00
Summary
Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer. Treatment often entails aggressive surgery with intensive chemotherapy, although one third of those diagnosed will still die from this disease. We have found that the molecule WIF1 can suppress osteosarcoma growth. In this project we aim to identify genetic modifiers of WIF1, potential WIF1 interactors and define active domains of WIF1 for the development of more effective targeted therapeutics for osteosarcoma.
PARP And PI3K Inhibition In Pancreatic Cancer: Intravital Insights And ‘fine-tune’ Priming Using AKT And Single/double-strand DNA Break Biosensor Mice.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$760,505.00
Summary
Inefficient drug response in solid tumour tissue is often a limiting factor in the clinical effectiveness of cancer therapies. Using cutting-edge imaging technology and 3D models that mimic the disease, we can map areas of poor drug response within distinct regions of tumours with chemotherapy. Here, we will shift factors limiting efficient drug targeting in these areas to improve the encouraging anti-cancer profile of PI3K and DNA repair inhibitors in pancreatic cancer.