The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
The steroid hormone estrogen plays a critical role in the development of human breast cancer. Anti-estrogen therapy has been believed to be an effective treatment of breast cancer over more than 100 years. However, the anti-estrogen therapy is still restricted mainly because of that estrogen has fundamental physiological actions and a wide range of beneficial effects on bone, brain, cardiovascular and other targeted tissues. Thus, it has become a primary focus of inquiry to understand how estrog ....The steroid hormone estrogen plays a critical role in the development of human breast cancer. Anti-estrogen therapy has been believed to be an effective treatment of breast cancer over more than 100 years. However, the anti-estrogen therapy is still restricted mainly because of that estrogen has fundamental physiological actions and a wide range of beneficial effects on bone, brain, cardiovascular and other targeted tissues. Thus, it has become a primary focus of inquiry to understand how estrogen specifically functions in breast cancer but not in normal tissues. Estrogen serves different functions involving a series of biochemical reactions called signal transduction pathways that can couple estrogen to a specific function, such as cancer formation. We have recently found that a enzyme named sphingosine kinase (SK) activation triggers a novel signal transduction pathway in regulation of cell growth and tumour formation, and that this pathway was activated by estrogen in human breast cancer cells. Thus, we seek to identify how estrogen activate SK and how they contribute to the development of breast cancer. It will ultimately provide a potential target for therapeutic intervention and may yield new compounds that have clinical benefit for anti-breast-cancer.Read moreRead less
Inhibition Of Estrogen Signalling By Androgen Receptors: A Potential Mechanism For Suppression Of Breast Cancer Growth.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$525,000.00
Summary
Breast cancer is a major health problem in Western countries including Australia, where it is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Breast cells require female sex hormones, called estrogens, for their growth and survival and consequently most current treatments for breast cancer aim to block the actions of these hormones in breast cancer cells. However there is still a large proportion of women who do not respond to these therapies or have an initial response but subsequently deve ....Breast cancer is a major health problem in Western countries including Australia, where it is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Breast cells require female sex hormones, called estrogens, for their growth and survival and consequently most current treatments for breast cancer aim to block the actions of these hormones in breast cancer cells. However there is still a large proportion of women who do not respond to these therapies or have an initial response but subsequently develop resistance. Evidence from our laboratory and others indicates that the male sex hormones, androgens, also play an important role in breast cancer. Androgens oppose the effects of estrogens in breast cancer cells, and inhibit their growth. Historically androgens were used to treat patients with advanced breast cancer, with good results, but the masculinising side effects (eg excess hair growth and acne) of these hormones led to a discontinuation of their use since the 1960s. The major objective of our current studies is to determine how androgens can stop breast cancer cells from growing by investigating the effects of the androgen receptor, which mediates the growth regulatory effects of androgens, in breast cancer cells. We believe that a better understanding of this signalling pathway could potentially lead to new treatments for breast cancer that act more specifically to inhibit cancer growth without the unpleasant side effects of androgenic drugs.Read moreRead less
Role Of Cyclin E2 In Hormone-responsive Breast Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$328,194.00
Summary
The female hormone estrogen stimulates the growth of breast cancers by promoting cell reproduction. We have found that cyclin E2, which is part of the machinery that controls cell reproduction, responds to estrogen. Since abnormally high levels of cyclin E2 are linked with earlier relapse in breast cancer, we wish to understand what role it plays in estrogen action and in breast cancer, how its levels are controlled, and whether too much cyclin E2 interferes with drugs that block estrogen action
Clinical Trial Of Adjuvant Docetaxel And Doxorubicin For Node Positive Breast Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$185,135.00
Summary
This project is investigating the optimal use of docetaxel and doxorubicin in the treatment of women with breast cancer and involved lymph nodes (N+). Every year 3000 women in Australia, and over 400,000 worldwide are newly diagnosed with N+ breast cancer. Using available treatments more than 60% of these (5 per day in Australia, 4,500 each week worldwide) will die from breast cancer. The efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer is well established by the international overview c ....This project is investigating the optimal use of docetaxel and doxorubicin in the treatment of women with breast cancer and involved lymph nodes (N+). Every year 3000 women in Australia, and over 400,000 worldwide are newly diagnosed with N+ breast cancer. Using available treatments more than 60% of these (5 per day in Australia, 4,500 each week worldwide) will die from breast cancer. The efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer is well established by the international overview conducted by the Early Breast Cancer Trialist's Collaborative Group (EBCTCG). They have demonstrated the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy on reducing mortality and recurrence rates, but current regimens are far from optimal. Docetaxel (Taxotere), a new agent, has effectiveness and manageable side effects in the treatment of advanced breast cancer patients, and can plausibly improve outcomes for patients with early N+ breast cancer by optimal integration into current adjuvant chemotherapy regimens. This clinical trial is designed to compare whether it is advantageous to use docetaxel and-or doxorubicin in combination or sequentially with other currently available chemotherapy drugs.Read moreRead less
I am a cancer cell biologist investigating molecular mechanisms of leukaemia cell resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, and novel strategies for the management of high risk or relapsed disease. For these purposes I have developed orthotopic xenograft mode
Mechanisms Of Glucocorticoid Resistance In Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$547,970.00
Summary
Glucocorticoids are extremely active drugs used in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), yet a proportion of patients respond poorly to therapy and exhibit resistance at relapse. Clinically relevant mechanisms of glucocorticoid resistance are poorly understood, principally due to lack of appropriate experimental models. This project will reveal novel mechanisms of drug resistance in childhood leukaemia and lead to novel therapeutic strategies to improve outcome.
An In-vivo Model Of Acquired Chemoresistance In Small Cell Lung Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,827.00
Summary
Lung cancer is a common and lethal disease in our community. In this project, we explore how a very aggressive form of lung cancer becomes resistant to chemotherapy. To do this, we use a new mouse model of lung cancer in which we can study how human lung cancer cells develop resistance to chemotherapy in vivo. Understanding these pathways will help us to better treat lung cancer with chemotherapy.
One of the hallmarks of cancer cells is their ability to divide and multiply in an uncontrolled manner. Specific proteins that make up the skeleton of cells (cytoskeleton) play an important part in the cell division process and as such make extremely important targets for anticancer therapy. Our research is developing ways to best target cell division proteins so that we can make drug resistant cancer cells sensitive to chemotherapy.