Targeting novel receptors in GBM
This project can be adapted in scope for Honours or PhD project. BACKGROUND We have generated well-characterised monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against two receptor proteins that are present on two discrete cell populations and propose to use these simultaneously to effectively target this devastating disease. By targeting two proteins specifically expressed on the tumour and not […]
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What determines leukaemic stem cell maintenance and resistance to chemotherapy?
Can be adapted in scope for Honours, Masters or PhD project with bioinformatics background Acute myeloid leukemia is a highly aggressive disease with the majority of patients still relapsing even after achieving remission from chemotherapy. It is hypothesized that relapse arises from residual leukaemic stem cells that are resistant to chemotherapy. To date transcriptional analysis […]
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Role of MYC in leukaemic cell differentiation
Can be adapted in scope for Honours, Masters or PhD project with bioinformatics background MYC is a pleotropic transcription factor with a key role in controlling cell proliferation. Deregulation of MYC through amplification or genomic rearrangement is the oncogenic driver in many cancers of different tissue origin. Novel therapies that inhibit downstream effects of MYC […]
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The role of the immune system in disease evolution and treatment response in AML
Can be adapted in scope for Honours, Masters or PhD project Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer characterised by the excessive production of immature myeloid elements. AML is a genetically heterogeneous disease in that it is known to be driven by an extensive list of somatic mutations and chromosomal re-arrangements. We have […]
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The role of additional mutations in treatment response and disease progression in MPN
Can be adapted in scope for Honours, Masters or PhD project MPNs are a group of disorders characterised by the excess production of mature myeloid cells. MPNs are driven by the constitutive activation of the JAK-STAT signalling pathway as a consequence of mutations in either JAK2, MPL or CALR in haematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Pioneering […]
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Should I stay, or should I go? How brain stem cells decide to leave quiescence
Multiple projects available to suit Honours or PhD students Quiescence is a type of reversible cell-cycle arrest displayed by many resident tissue stem cell populations, which helps to ensure we have a lifelong population of stem cells to maintain tissue homeostasis, respond to injury and other stimuli. One region where these stem cells exist is […]
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Targeting the gut and the microbiome to improve blood cancer treatments
Multiple projects available to suit Honours or PhD students Stem cell transplantation (SCT) remains the preferred treatment option for the majority of blood cancers providing alloimmunity to eradicate the disease and prevent relapse. However, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a major complication that limits its effectiveness and utility, thus represents a clinical unmet need. Chemotherapy/radiation prior […]
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Targeting non-coding RNAs to boost immunotherapy response in cancer
Suitable for Honours and PhD students Immunotherapy has emerged as a transformative mode of cancer therapy. However, a number of cancer-types do not respond to immunotherapy, and a significant proportion of cancer patients who initially show response develop resistance later in their treatment. Therefore, development of novel approaches to boost immunotherapy response are needed in […]
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Novel approaches in overcoming therapy resistance in pancreatic cancer
Suitable for Honours and PhD students Pancreatic tumours are aggressive and highly resistant to current therapies due to the dense fibrotic stroma, hypoxic tumour microenvironment and immune evasion. Pancreatic tumour cells switch their metabolism to survive better in this hostile environment and recent studies have shown that epigenetic changes play an important role in this […]
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