Seminar Recordings

• Research aims to improve health outcomes, yet not all research makes it into practice – what are some of the barriers to this?

  Explores why some research findings can become successful cancer treatments, whilst others struggle, even if they show positive findings in the research setting.

• Characterization of complex structural variations in cancer genomes with long reads

  In this talk Lachlan will describe work exploring use of long-read sequencing in characterisation of a primary and metastatic tumour.

• Targeting the epigenome in cancer | Prof Mark Dawson

  The concepts, challenges and opportunities for targeting the epigenome in cancer

• Identifying MHC-II regulators that enable immune escape in acute myeloid leukaemia

  Relapse of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) following allogeneic stem cell transplantation confers a dismal prognosis and is linked to MHC-II silencing on leukaemic blasts. We identify novel, non-genomic MHC-II regulators in AML and demonstrate the potential therapeutic utility of targeting these repressive mechanisms to upregulate MHC-II expression and restore graft-versus-leukaemia responses.

• Developing new systems to uncover how transcription factors activate their target genes

  How transcription factors activate their target genes remains poorly understood. We have developed a screening system to create a map of the proteins required for activation by a series of transcription factors, providing the first unbiased and comprehensive picture into the specificity and heterogeneity of gene activation.

• Using clinical registries to improve outcomes for future patients | Dr Koen Degeling

  Health and process outcomes captured in clinical registries provide valuable insights into real-world treatment patterns, but how can we use those data to evaluate current cancer treatments and inform treatment decisions for future patients?

• Measuring adherence to the Optimal Care Pathway for people with melanoma | Karen Trapani

  From diagnosis to surgical treatment, how long does the Optimal Care Pathway take, and does it impact patient outcomes?

• Evaluating Clinical Utility of Complex Genomic Sequencing in Advanced Cancer | Sophie O'Haire

  Exploring the clinical impact of complex genomic testing on overall survival in advanced & refractory cancer using a simulated control arm.

• The opportunity of data-driven health services research to improve cancer outcomes | Prof Maarten IJzerman

  Recent achievements in the Cancer Health Services Research group of the UMCCR, enabling the use of clinical and administrative data registries to optimise cancer outcomes.

• Detecting circulating tumour DNA in localised prostate cancer | Associate Prof Bernie Pope

  An overview of recent work in detecting ctDNA in individuals with localised prostate cancer, a context that has previously proven challenging.

• Economic value assessment of next-generation sequencing technologies in blood cancers

  Martin presents findings on a recent systematic review to highlight urgent need to remedy the gap between the health economic research and clinical practice for next-generation sequencing technologies in blood cancers.

• Utilising population-level linked data to improve (genomics enabled) cancer outcomes in Victoria

  Progress in the development of an enduring linked dataset and provides examples of utilising this data for improving genomics enabled precision oncology.

• Immune-related adverse events and the role of emerging risk factors

  Overview of immune-related adverse events from cancer immunotherapies and the role of risk factors to identify patients at high risk of treatment-related harm.

• Establishing a Victorian linked dataset for budget impact modelling of new cancer treatments

  Using real-world data, the group have established a framework to quantify the population health economic impact of new cancer treatments for colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma.

• Health Economic Evidence for Liquid Biopsy Assays in Cancer Management

  Mussab presents: Health Economic Evidence for Liquid Biopsy Assays in Cancer Management: A Systematic Literature Review.

• Establishing a Victorian linked-dataset: what have we learned?

  This seminar asks: what does it take to establish a linked-dataset and what have we learned from colorectal cancer care in Victoria so far?

• Cure – at what cost? Implications of novel therapies in melanoma

  In this seminar, Dr Soon outlines her current research including a novel approach to consumer engagement and results from a horizon scanning project to identify promising cancer medicines in the pipeline.

• The I-MAGIC Program: IMplementing Aspirin Guidelines Into Clinical Care | Shakira Milton

  The I-MAGIC Program explores clinicians’ opinions on recommending aspirin to prevent colorectal cancer for Australians aged 50 to 70 years.

• Exploring symptoms and help-seeking triggers in upper gastrointestinal cancer patients | Napin Karnchanachari

  The SYMPTOM-UGI study explores factors impacting symptom appraisal and help-seeking in oesophago-gastric and pancreatic cancer patients, which may lead to shorter or longer times to diagnoses.

• Emerging biomarkers for detecting gastrointestinal cancers in primary care | Paige Druce

  The results of a systematic review aiming to identify novel biomarkers that have potential to be used in primary care to aid the detection of upper gastrointestinal cancers.

• Jianrong Zhang and Allison Drosdowsky

  Jianrong Zhang | Timely diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer: a systematic overview Allison Drosdowsky | Methodological review and meta-analysis of research on the early diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer

• An RCT of a decision aid about taking aspirin to prevent cancer

  The Should I Take Aspirin? (SITA) trial aimed to trial a decision aid with co-primary outcomes including uptake of aspirin and supporting informed choices for patients.

• Why are more young people getting colorectal cancer? | Prof Mark Jenkins & A/Prof Dan Buchanan

  The incidence of colorectal cancer in young adults is increasing in many westernised countries including Australia, the cause of which is currently unknown. Detailing the mutational processes in the tumour could hold the key to unlocking this public health problem.

• Resolving Suspected Lynch Syndrome Cases to Improve Risk Stratification | Romy Walker

  An improved approach to resolve DNA mismatch repair deficient colorectal and endometrial cancers classified as suspected Lynch syndrome through targeted tumour sequencing and multiple MLH1 promoter methylation assays.

• Characterisation of the Young Onset Colorectal Cancer tumour microenvironment | Ryan Hutchinson

  The application of tissue-based biomarker assays and state of the art computational pathology approaches to generate additional insights into young onset colorectal cancer.

• Evaluating the clinical applicability of tumour mutational signatures in colorectal cancer

  Peter investigates the effectiveness of tumour mutational signatures for identifying and understanding sub-types of CRC by describing specific use-cases where signatures can enhance current knowledge, highlighting both their suitability and limitations.

• Resolving Suspected Lynch Syndrome Cases to Improve Risk Stratification

  In this seminar Romy presents the application of a novel targeted tumour sequencing approach that can accurately resolve inherited from sporadic aetiology, providing an evidence base for its translation into clinical practice.

• Developing recommendations for national human genomics infrastructure

  Ongoing work to define key implementation elements for national human genomics infrastructure for Australia

• FAIR at UMCCR - Should we be doing more?

  The responsible sharing of consented genomics data is a key for research in Australia – this seminar briefly takes a look at the technology underlying data sharing at an organisational level and asks the question “should we be doing more?”

• Circulating Tumour DNA as a liquid biopsy for melanoma I Dr Stephen Wong

  Circulating tumour DNA can be harnessed as a minimally-invasive biomarker to guide treatment decisions in melanoma patients.

• Liquid biopsy to understand blood cancer evolution

  Blood is the key: Minimally-invasive genomic testing to monitor pre-cancerous and cancerous blood conditions.

• Why are more young people getting colorectal cancer? | Prof Mark Jenkins & A/Prof Dan Buchanan

  The incidence of colorectal cancer in young adults is increasing in many westernised countries including Australia, the cause of which is currently unknown. Detailing the mutational processes in the tumour could hold the key to unlocking this public health problem.

• Exploration of sex differences in the genetic susceptibility of glioma

  Using real-world data, the group have established a framework to quantify the population health economic impact of new cancer treatments for colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma.

• Using an SMS to increase bowel cancer screening through general practice, does it work?

  SMARTscreen was a project that designed and trialed an SMS to increase uptake of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program including endorsement by general practice, how-to-do the kit and a video of a person who benefitted from the program. We demonstrated this increased screening uptake in patients.

• What explains breast cancer familial aggregation?

  Dr Shuai Li presents genetic models that explain the residual breast cancer familial aggregation and relevant implications for breast cancer genetic susceptibility and risk prediction.

• Creating a triage tool for palliative care: Contextual and methodological challenges | Dr Beth Russell

  An overview of the body of research that developed a novel, evidence-based tool for palliative care triage – the Responding to Urgency of Need in Palliative Care (RUN-PC) Triage Tool.

• COVID-19 and Palliative Care: The rapidly evolving research agenda | Dr Beth Russell

  Palliative care is an essential component of health care responses to COVID-19. Dr Beth Russell explores this role and explains how palliative care researchers are collaborating internationally to better understand these aspects of COVID-19 care.

• Recurrent Emergency presentations in cancer care: Using linked data to predict those at risk | Dr David Marco

  This population-based analysis suggests that late palliative care involvement increases likelihood of early re-presentation to emergency department in patients with advanced cancer.

• The role of telehealth in oncology care: a qualitative analysis | Dr Eri Aung

  A qualitative analysis of patient and clinician perspectives on the utility of telehealth in oncology care.

• Telehealth in cancer care: a mixed methods study of view of patients and clinicians

  Understanding the perceptions of patients and cancer providers regarding telehealth in oncology and palliative care practice, with Professor Jennifer Philip.

• Implementation science: the next frontier for early palliative care

  Implementation science offers the system-wide approaches necessary to underpin the translation evidence of benefit of early palliative care into practice.

• RNAsum: Implementing patients transcriptome profiling in precision oncology setting | Dr Jacek Marzec and Dr Sehrish Kanwal

  Presentation of an open source tool using RNA sequencing data from cancer patients to complement genome-based findings and aid therapeutic targets prioritisation.

• Applying genomics to tackle cancers of low survival and unmet need | Prof Sean Grimmond

  The seminar will provide an update on cancer genome discovery & precision oncology activities at the UMCCR.

• Establishment of clinical curation principles for whole genome and transcriptome sequencing of CUP

  We have identified three main areas of whole genome and transcriptome sequencing curation which can routinely be used to inform cancer diagnosis.

• Looking under the bonnet of challenging cancer diagnoses using genomics: the COLUMN-Pathologist-Initiated study

  In this talk, Joep Vissers, Owen Prall and Catherine Mitchell present a unique pathologist-initiated project, employing whole genome and transcriptome sequencing to inform precision diagnosis of cancers that could not be classified by conventional methods.

• Curating inherited variants in the context of precision oncology

  In this seminar, Dr Shannon Nicolson discusses the curation and clinical impact of variants in cancer predisposition genes.

• Exploring unconventional T cells in Merkel cell carcinomas using immunogenomic methods | Dr Richard Tothill

  The Rare Disease Ocogenomics group's work on Merkel cell carcinoma has shown the existence of an under studied type of T cell infiltrating these tumours, which likely has prognostic and therapeutic significance for patients with this rare but aggressive type of skin cancer.

• Single-cell and bulk gene expression analysis of rare neuroendocrine tumours | Dr Andrew Pattison

  We used single nuclei RNA-Seq to better understand the relationship of tumour cells and the tumour microenvironment in phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

• Patterns of somatic genetic alteration reveal the life history of a cell | Dr Aidan Flynn

  Combined analysis of oncogenic drivers, mutational signatures and positional mutation profiling can provide a robust clinical tool for diagnosis of cancer cell of origin.

• A5 SDHB Genomics: Using multi-omics to dissect a rare cancer of the sympathetic nervous system | Associate Prof Richard Tothill

  A5 SDHB study is a collaborative multi-national study using advanced genomic methods to understand a rare heritable disease that arises from cells of the sympathetic nervous system.

• RNA and DNA panel testing augments the histopathological workup of cancer of unknown primary

  Incorporating genomic profiling into a histopathology workup can help resolve cancers of unknown primary and help to unmask the true identity of this enigmatic disease.

• Genomic correlates of aggressive prostate cancer: Revisiting the role for MYC in tumorigenesis and recurrence

  Gain or amplification of the MYC locus is associated with early clinical progression in prostate cancer but inaccurately types tumours with high MYC activity.

• Characterisation of Merkel cell carcinoma links interferon response and neuroendocrine differentiation to patient survival outcome

  Distinct patterns of IFNg response and neuroendocrine differentiation were identified in MCC cell lines that each had prognostic significance in MCC patients.

• Improving the diagnosis and treatment of Cancer of Unknown Primary using genomic profiling and patient-derived organoids

  The current thesis investigated the use of genomic tests to improve diagnosis and treatment for Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP)

• Circulating tumour DNA in phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma: needle in a haystack?

  Developing ultrasensitive methods to detect circulating tumour DNA from slow-growing rare cancers to assist with diagnosis and treatment selection.

• Intra-tumor heterogeneity & treatment resistance in colorectal cancer metastasis | Melodie Grandin

  By characterising intra-tumour heterogeneity using cutting edge technologies, we aim to find effective treatments for liver metastasis from bowel cancer through understanding how cells escape current treatments, and testing novel drugs on organoids – 3D tissue models grown from patient tumour samples.

• Characterising tumour and immunological heterogeneity in colorectal cancer I Carolyn Shembrey

  Transcriptomic, spatial and functional characterisation of tumour and immunological heterogeneity in colorectal cancer.

• Characterising Intra-tumor heterogeneity & its role in treatment resistance in colorectal cancer metastasis | Melodie Grandin

  By characterising intra-tumour heterogeneity using cutting edge technologies, we aim to find effective treatments for liver metastasis from bowel cancer through understanding how cells escape current treatments, and testing novel drugs on organoids – 3D tissue models grown from patient tumour samples.

• UNC5B: targeting dependence receptors in colorectal cancer metastasis

  This talk investigates the implication of UNC5B receptor in chemoresistance and plasticity of liver metastatic cancer cells.

• Development of a 3D Platform to Investigate NK Cell Regulation in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer​

  Development of a 3D Platform to Investigate NK Cell Regulation in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

• Fast-track notification of cancer to the Victorian Cancer Registry: Using E-Path to provide timely cancer statistics | Professor Sue Evans

  Transmitting pathology data in near real-time from pathology laboratories across Victoria, and how artificial intelligence is being used to extract core information from these reports, to enhance the dataset captured by the Victorian Cancer Registry (VCR).

• Checkpoints of the TNF signalling pathway: Implications in cancer and inflammation | Dr Najoua Lalaoui

  TNF is a pleiotropic cytokine with key roles in inflammation. The TNF signalling is tightly controlled at multiple levels by diverse checkpoints. Removal of these checkpoints unleashes the cytotoxic potential of TNF than can be used for cancer therapy but also drive inflammatory diseases.

• Implementing whole genome sequencing in the breast cancer clinic | Dr Amy McCart Reed

  Q-IMPROvE is the Qld-based study to investigate the benefit of implementing whole genome sequencing into the management of breast cancer patients.

• Unplanned ED presentations by cancer patients receiving anti-cancer therapy | Polly Dufton

  The reasons that cancer patients who are receiving systemic anti-cancer therapy make unplanned ED presentations are more complex than you might think.

• CD16/complement-expressing macrophages are critical to immunotherapy response in melanoma | Dr James Wilmott

  CD16+/C1qa expressing macrophages are a critical component of immune responses to anti-PD-1 monotherapy and anti-PD-1/anti-CTLA-4 combination immunotherapies in melanoma patients.

• The compelling journey of colorectal cancer prevention by aspirin | Professor Finlay Macrae

  From case-control studies to the 20 year follow up of the CaPP2 RCT.

• Unique psychological challenges in haematological cancer during the pandemic | Dr Nienke Zomerdijk

  National collaborative study to identify the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on haematological cancer patients and correlated factors to inform potential appropriate interventions

• The ROSA project: options for risk-based breast cancer screening in Australia | Dr Carolyn Nickson

  The Roadmap for Optimising Screening in Australia (ROSA) project is actively exploring options for more risk-based approaches to the early detection of breast cancer in asymptomatic women.

• Immune surveillance of growth factors in anti-tumour immunity | Dr Alexander Barrow

  The Barrow lab is actively investigating how tumour cell-derived growth factors activate anti-tumour immunity focusing on natural killer cells and innate lymphoid cells.

• Mass cytometry (CyTOF) technology in cancer drug research | Dr Charis Teh

  Mass cytometry (CyTOF) technology captures the cellular gymnastics of survival and killer proteins in blood cancers after drug treatment.

• Central venous access devices and cancer care: What we know but don’t implement | Kerrie Curtis

  Identifying practice gaps in the management of Central Venous Access Devices in cancer contexts. A multi-site knowledge translation study.

• Understanding the functional consequences of every single mutation in Your Favourite Gene

  This talk describes Multiplexed Assays of Variant Effect (MAVEs), a family of experimental techniques that allow researchers to measure all possible variants of a gene or other functional element at once, with a focus on enabling MAVE data sharing and clinical applications.

• Making Curative Treatment Decisions in Breast Cancer: How Precise Need We Be?

  This talk discusses how clinicians make recommendations with patients, predominantly focusing on systemic therapies such as which endocrine therapy to use, how long to use it, and deciding when a patient needs chemotherapy.

• The power of molecular imaging techniques in preclinical cancer research

  In this seminar Dr Burvenich (NIF fellow, National Imaging Facility) will illustrate the capability of the preclinical molecular imaging modalities available at the ARCF Centre for Translational Cancer Therapeutics and Imaging of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute.

• Heritable DNA methylation marks associated with familial breast and prostate cancer

  Using a CRISPR based system to edit DNA methylation this study screened for methylation that induce a breast cancer phenotype.

• Changing the therapeutic paradigm of Gastrointestinal Cancer with precision medicine | Professor Alex Boussioutas

  Using precision medicine to shift the therapeutic paradigm of gastrointestinal cancer towards early detection, targeted therapy and prevention.

• Suppressing tumour development - the coordinated response of p53 target genes

  p53 activates many genes and pathways, thus understanding which are the most important for its tumour suppression function has been a challenge. Our data support the notion that multiple p53-regulated processes must fail for tumours to develop, with coordination of DNA damage repair bring highly critical, earning its title as the ‘guardian of the genome’.

• Breast cancer susceptibility genomics: current status, clinical utility and future perspectives

  In this seminar, Tú will present the current status, clinical utility and future perspectives of genomic testing for breast cancer susceptibility.

• Old and new pre-clinical tools to investigate mechanisms of drug resistance in ovarian and other rare gynaecological cancers

  In this seminar, Professor Clare Scott discusses streamlining ovarian and other rare gynaecological cancer research through the national WEHI-Stafford Fox Rare Cancer Program.

• Heritable methylation marks associated with cancer risk

  Dr James Dowty and the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics conducted a genome-wide search for DNA methylation marks that are inherited from parents to offspring and are associated with the risk of certain common cancers.

• Understanding the Mysteries of Colorectal Cancer Pathology: A Guide for Researchers

  Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology Kais Kasem provides a visual walkthrough of how pathologists assess colorectal cancer, interpret its features and generate a pathology report: A guide for all cancer researchers.

• Cancer Disparities Research - Cancer Research Center for Health Equity

  Professor Haile presents a summary of ongoing research that addresses cancer disparities, particularly in Asian poopulations and LGBTQ+ populations.

• Doing better for our patients: Reflections on genetic pathology emergencies

  In this presentation, Dr Lauren Akesson highlights some lessons learned during a recent overseas laboratory visit before reflecting on the evolving changes to urgent genetic testing for genetic pathology emergencies.

• Evaluation and possible future improvements of colorectal and cervical cancer screening in Denmark

  The session will focus on research related to organised colorectal and cervical cancer screening in Denmark. The presented studies aims to secure and improve the overall outcome of the programmes.