Research Projects
Brain Cancer Organoids Program
Discovery Theme: Tumour Microenvironment
Organoids are 3D replicas of tissues, in this case brain cancers, that can be studied in the lab. They will be used to test and discover new therapies for brain cancer patients, accelerating identification of new targeted drugs and the best drug combinations for each individual brain cancer patient.
Champions
WEHI
Professor Antony (Tony)Burgess AC FAA FTSE PhD was formerly Director of the Melbourne Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and then a Laboratory Head in the Structural Biology Division at WEHI. Currently he is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Melbourne, a Member of WEHI and a member of the Personalised Oncology Division.
His research has focused on the roles of growth factors and cytokines in cell production and in particular the role of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in driving the proliferation and/or survival of cancer cells. He has participated in the development of antibodies and drugs to treat colon cancer and brain tumours. Most recently he was a team leader of research using organoid cultures identify drug combinations which can kill colon adenoma organoids. He also has an interest in the use of brain tumour organoids for identifying drug combinations for improving the treatment of glioblastoma.
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Professor Tony Burgess
WEHI
Laboratory Head, WEHI
Associate Professor Oliver Sieber is a Laboratory Head in the Personalised Oncology Division at WEHI. His research aims to identify new and more effective treatments for individuals affected by cancers of the bowel, oral cavity and brain. After gaining his PhD at Cancer Research UK in 2004, he undertook 6 years postdoctoral training at Cancer Research UK, the University of Oxford and the Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research (LICR Melbourne) in the field of cancer biology. He was Joint Laboratory Head at the LICR Melbourne from 2009-12, before joining WEHI as Laboratory Head. At WEHI, he set up the Stafford Fox Centre for Cancer Stem Cell Disease Modelling to facilitate the development of precision medicine approaches for cancer utilising patient-derived organoids. He serves as Deputy Chair of the Translational Research Committee of the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG).
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Associate Professor Oliver Sieber
WEHI
Division Head, WEHI
Professor Peter Gibbs is a Laboratory Head at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. He is a senior medical oncologist at the Western Hospital, where he is an experienced clinical investigator, having led multiple, large, randomised clinical trials. At WEHI his laboratory is focused on translational research, using studies involving clinical data and samples to improve treatment decision making and outcomes, including studies in brain cancer. Professor Gibbs also leads an expanding program in registry-based clinical trials.
Related research projects:
Professor Peter Gibbs
WEHI