Ovarian cancer – understanding molecular events in advanced disease
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Summary
This project will investigate the molecular events related to advanced ovarian cancer, focusing on key hormones and growth factors ovarian epithelial cancer cells are exposed to and/or secrete that may influence tumorigenesis.
Supervisor(s)
Associate Professor Deborah Marsh, Professor Rob Baxter
Research Location
Kolling Institute of Medical Research
Program Type
PHD
Synopsis
Ovarian cancer has the highest fatality rate of all of the gynaecological malignancies. This is largely due to the fact that ovarian cancers usually remain asymptomatic until they have metastasised, so over two thirds of patients present with advanced disease and a poor prognosis. Understanding how various cell survival signalling pathways become activated in ovarian cells by growth factors and hormones will help us to develop better diagnostic and therapeutic options for women faced with this malignancy. Projects available would include the use of cell line models of ovarian cancer to study signalling pathways influencing ovarian cancer cell proliferation and migration in response to hormones such as gonadotropins and other growth factors. The findings will identify how key pathways involved in ovarian cancer might be activated and shed light on how these pathways might be targeted for future molecular therapies. PhD students will be exposed to a wide variety of cell and molecular biological techniques including cell culture, immunoblotting, different types of migration assays, proliferation assays, immunostaining and confocal microscopy. They will work in the new state-of-the-art Kolling Building based at Royal North Shore Hospital.
Additional Information
The Functional Genomics Laboratory (FGL) at the Kolling Institute The Functional Genomics Laboratory (FGL) is part of the Hormones and Cancer Group made up of approximately 50 researchers at the Kolling Institute. FGL currently consists of the laboratory head, 3 postdoctoral scientists, 5 PhD students at various stages, a research assistant and 2 tumour bank staff. Research is ongoing in the fields of endocrine tumours, ovarian and endometrial cancer, as well as studies of the PTEN tumour suppressor in the context of cancer and overgrowth. The study of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signalling is of particular interest in these contexts.
The Kolling Institute provides a dynamic academic environment for students with seminar programs, journals clubs, and an active student group PReSS (http://www.ncs.usyd.edu.au/press/).
Interested students are asked to apply for all available funding (eg. APA, UPA, NHMRC Dora Lush, CINSW Research Scholar Awards etc.) and the potential supervisors will help with this process.
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Keywords
Cancer, endocrine, ovarian, women
Opportunity ID
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is: 1049
Other opportunities with Associate Professor Deborah Marsh
- Studies of a novel cancer gene with links to transcription
- Investigating the origins of epithelial ovarian cancer
Other opportunities with Professor Rob Baxter