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.

PROFESSOR ALEX BOUSSIOUTAS
Group Lead, Gastrointestinal Cancer Research, UMCCR
Associate Dean Graduate Research | The University of Melbourne

Director of Gastroenterology | The Royal Melbourne Hospital
Head of Gastroenterology | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor Alex Boussisoutas's research programs have early detection and prevention as a core theme and utilise technology to provide more personalised care. This seminar will outline his lab's work from recent years within the overarching theme of precision medicine and shifting the therapeutic paradigm towards early detection, targeted therapy and prevention.

Professor Boussioutas will cover:

  • Genomic descriptors of Gastric Cancer and how the microenvironment shapes immunological response and may offer a way of targeting current and future immunotherapies
  • Premalignant models of gastric cancer and how we may be able to stratify patients based on molecular risk.
  • Evidence of clinical research that can make a difference in whether a patient develops cancer simply by adhering to screening advice and having quality screening performed.

Professor Alex Boussioutas is a tenured academic clinician at the University of Melbourne in the Department of Medicine at Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH). He is currently Associate Dean Graduate Research for the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. His current clinical positions are Acting Director of Gastroenterology at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Head of Gastroenterology at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

He leads a research program in Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer through laboratories at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne. His research encompasses a number of disciplines including: population health and screening; use of novel technologies to aid early detection of cancer and; genomics in the investigation of molecular pathology of gastric cancer. He also has an active research program into colorectal cancer through his leadership at the Familial Cancer Clinic at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and collaborations with the School of Population Health at University of Melbourne.