Research Projects
Organoid-informed precision medicine for glioblastoma
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.
Glioblastoma is the most common brain cancer in adults. It has poor survival outcomes. Patients with glioblastoma have limited treatment options. Unfortunately, recent clinical trials have failed to make progress with new therapies due to a lack of cancer models for drug discovery that accurately mimic the patient’s tumour.
This project aims to grow patient tumour tissue in the laboratory as something called organoids that can serve as faithful “tumour avatars” to improve personalised treatment for brain cancer. Organoids are combined with other models to facilitate drug screening, improving clinically relevant discovery of new treatments.
Organoids can further be used to predict tumour drug responses, guiding the use of drugs in the clinic.
Initially we will generate an organoid biobank to support therapeutic research of Brain Cancer Centre investigators. We aim to identify new treatments for patients by exploring new drug combinations. Then we anticipate taking newly identified drug combinations forward into organoid-informed clinical trials.
Ultimately, we aim to see new therapies entering the clinic to improve outcomes for patients with brain cancer.
Champions
Laboratory Head, WEHI
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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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.
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Professor Peter Gibbs
WEHI
Research Officer
WEHI
Dr. Claire Storey is a Research Officer in the Personalised Oncology Division at WEHI.
She obtained her PhD from La Trobe University in 2024, where she developed a novel model for Alzheimer’s disease. Claire has an extensive background in neuroscience, having previously worked on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Since joining Professor Oliver Sieber’s group in 2021, she has utilised her expertise to contribute to the establishment of a brain cancer organoid program for therapeutic discovery.
Her work focuses on enhancing the use of patient-derived tumour organoids as a preclinical model for translational brain cancer research. By incorporating a personalised approach, Claire’s research seeks to tailor therapeutic strategies to individual patients, leveraging these advanced models to identify more effective treatments and improve outcomes for those facing brain cancer.
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Dr Claire Storey
WEHI
Medical Oncologist, The Alfred Hospital & Cabrini
Clinician Researcher, WEHI
Dr Lucy Gately is a medical oncologist at the Alfred Hospital where she is Head of Neuro-Oncology, Cancer Genetics and Clinical Innovation. She is also a clinician researcher in The Brain Cancer Centre as part of the Personalised Oncology Division where she leads a program of research focussed on clinical data and research infrastructure. Lucy is passionate about improving the lives of patients with brain cancer and was awarded a PhD in brain cancer survivorship from the University of Melbourne. The intersection of her research and clinical work provides continued meaning in the battle against brain cancer.
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Dr Lucy Gately
WEHI