Translational Oncology Group at the University of Technology Sydney - UTS

03/07/2022

05/11/2021

Professor Edward Holmes of the University of Sydney has scooped the top award at last night’s Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science, for his prompt efforts to understand the coronavirus genome.

17/10/2021

56 signatures are needed! Support for an overhaul in the distribution of NHMRC funding

10/07/2021

Our colleague Matt Padula making the news.

Many scientists dedicate their lives to understanding some part of the world, Dr Matt Padula has taken a different tack.

12/05/2021

Today is . 👩🏻 💪🏻 ➕➗

We spoke to maths educator, Associate Professor Mary Coupland about the importance of maths education.

Mary researches the learning and teaching of mathematics and believes in sharing the power and beauty in mathematics when teaching it to others.

She has shared her journey, and some advice with us below.

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💬 I always enjoyed maths at school and might have become an engineer if that had been encouraged back in the sixties and seventies. I have never regretted becoming a teacher – first in high schools and then in universities. It is certainly rewarding to see students understand something they previously did not comprehend.

💬 I think it is vital that younger [female] academics have the chance to meet and work with mentors. I enjoy working collaboratively with others; we need diversity in all things.

💬 My advice to aspiring female mathematicians; If you thrive in team environments, join a team or create one yourself.

16/03/2021

One of the most positive things about being a scientist is the people you meet and the networks you establish along the way. Our lab worked with Ussha Pillai for many years at the Kolling Institute before we moved to UTS in August 2018. What has been achieved by Ussha and her team for tumour banking for research over many years is remarkable. The Kolling Institute Tumour Bank at Royal North Shore Hospital is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, tumour bank in NSW, having been started in 1992 (nearly 30 years ago!!) with the foresight of Professors Bruce Robinson and Leigh Delbridge. Over this time it has facilitated many translational research projects, including those run in our own lab.
This truly remarkable resource can always use a hand. While cancer patients donate their specimens to this bank, we can all help by donating dollars. If this is a way you might consider contributing to cancer research, you can can follow this link to make a donation through the University of Sydney for this purpose click through on this link:
https://sydneyvital.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Kolling-Institute-Tumour-Bank.pdf

09/03/2021

We are celebrating International Women's Day with stories from . 👩🏽🔬

Research Associate, Kristie Dickson, is a cancer scientist/molecular and cell biologist. She researches which has one of the lowest survival rates and highest mortality of all of the woman’s cancers. Her research aims to address chemoresistance and develop new therapy options for women with ovarian cancer to help increase patient survival.

A huge moment for Kristie was when she attended a “survivors teaching students” panel at the Royal North Shore Hospital hearing the stories of ovarian cancer patients from the survivors themselves:

"Their families opened my eyes to the importance of my research and gave me great pride that I could someday make a positive difference to these women"

08/03/2021

We are celebrating International Women's Day with stories from !!! 👩🏽🔬💪

Professor Deborah Marsh’s research is trying to change survival rates for those with Ovarian Cancer. Less than 50% of women are alive 5 years after diagnosis. 😟

Her career has included a postdoc at Harvard University Medical School and ground-breaking research on a frequently mutated gene in all human malignancy. (And much, much more)

She has the following advice to aspiring female scientists: 📢

“You need to be smart, hard-working, determined, have a fierce intellectual curiosity and the ability to nurture a network of both female and male colleagues who will advocate for you and give you opportunities. Nobody is an island and especially today in science, it is hard to progress without the support of others."

Deborah's full profile: https://bit.ly/2OA7kFm

Challenge

04/02/2021

Today, Feb 4th, is World Cancer Day. Our lab head was given the opportunity to reflect on working with consumers in research - people who have had cancer and then choose to give back by helping to educate researchers who have not walked in the shoes as to what it is really like. Gill Stannard, , an ovarian cancer survivor, has influenced the way our lab thinks about our research and is helping to shape our research program. We are grateful. Photo Credits: Kate Disher-Quill

28/01/2021

Our lab has a postdoc position, open now, closing on Feb 15th, to work on 3D bio-printing and ovarian cancer. This work builds on seed funding from the SPHERE Frontiers Technology Clinical Academic Group and the Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology (FEIT) at UTS. It is funded by the MRFF through a collaborative project with A/Prof Nikola Bowden and A/Prof Caroline Ford, as well as the Cancer Council NSW collaboratively with Prof Anna DeFazio. The goals are to develop strong models to test the efficacy of repurposed drugs, as well as develop functional models to test molecular target drugs. Please drop us a line if you are interested.

https://recruitment.uts.edu.au/OA_HTML/OA.jsp?page=/oracle/apps/irc/candidateSelfService/webui/VisVacDispPG&OAHP=IRC_EXT_SITE_VISITOR_APPL&OASF=IRC_VIS_VAC_DISPLAY&akRegionApplicationId=821&transactionid=1517974217&retainAM=N&addBreadCrumb=RP&p_svid=190653&p_spid=6612785&oapc=7&oas=71wXE5Rt8HcOd98MQuD-uQ

05/11/2020

Final honours presentations today for this year's students. 2020 ... what a challenging year to undertake your honours. Still, the students have really shone over the last 2 days. Nimeree Muntasir below, fully based in our lab undertook a project on 3D bioprinting of ovarian cancer cells that has propelled us forwards in this area. Co-supervisions of Ramla Roohi looking at chlamydia and ovarian cancer (with A/Prof Willa Huston) and Ana-Leisa Dennington looking at honey as a membrane disruptor to better deliver chemotherapeutic drugs (with Dr Evelyne Deplazes). All did super well today and yesterday.

21/10/2020

12/10/2020

Our colleague at UTS Dr Lana McClements speaking about going for a career in science if you are a girl or a woman on the International Day of the Girl 2020.

27/08/2020

Inviting all Cancer researchers – and anyone else who may be interested – to a new seminar series hosted by La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and the Comprehensive Cancer PhD Program. Click for information: https://bit.ly/32rLdEE

Join using Zoom from 11am-12midday each Wednesday beginning 16 September (until 14 October).

27/08/2020

06/08/2020

Congratulations Annaclaire McDonald - winner of the Science 3 Minute Thesis Competition - where you have just three minutes to present an 80,000 word PhD thesis. Her presentation 'Munching on Mother Nature's Vacuum Cleaners' was absolutely brilliant, very engaging, eye-opening and actually incredibly fun. 👍🏽 👍🏽 👍🏽


🎩Hat tip to runner-up Elizabeth Peterson and also Laura Clancy for winning the People’s Choice Award.

Support Annaclaire as she takes on other faculties at UTS in the finals on 25 August. You can register here: https://bit.ly/3gxsFbX

22/07/2020

opened with a keynote address from Anthony Fauci, MD, who discussed prior coronavirus pandemics and the latest advances in treatment and vaccine development for COVID-19. Read on to learn more: https://bit.ly/3jkBg3v

18/07/2020

Tune in on July 20 to hear Anthony Fauci, open the and Cancer virtual meeting with a keynote address “Coronavirus infections: More than just the common cold.” Learn more about the meeting and register today: https://bit.ly/30jKynz