Oncogenomics

Laboratory Head    

Professor Nick Hayward

Summary

A small proportion of individuals are at much higher risk of developing particular types of cancer than the general population because they carry an inherited mutation in one of many key cancer genes. The Oncogenomics Laboratory identifies novel cancer genes and studies the way in which defects in these genes are associated with cancer predisposition or development. In particular we focus on melanoma, oesophageal cancer, and endocrine tumours.

We are interested in investigating the process of cancer development at the level of individual cancer predisposition genes, and by looking at the whole genome scale. We hope that better understanding the genetic events that cause cancer will lead to better ways of diagnosing or treating cancers in the future.

Conditions researched

• Melanoma
• Oesophageal cancer and Barrett’s oesophagus
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1

Current research

• Studying melanoma susceptibility genes
• Studying the molecular genetics of MEN 1 (multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1)
• Identifying environmental and genetic risk factors for oesophageal cancer and Barrett's oesophagus
• Cellular and molecular changes that occur in the progression of normal oesophageal epithelium, through Barrett's oesophagus, to oesophageal cancer

Staff

Laboratory Head: Professor Nicholas Hayward

Postdoctorate staff: Magdalena Auret, Vanessa Bonazzi, Kelly Loffler, Derek Nancarrow, Susan Woods

Research Assistants: Michael Gartside, Jane Palmer, Alisa Poh, Thomas Pollak, Mitchell Stark, Judith Symmons

PhD students: Lauren Aoude, Ken Dutton-Regester, Adam Frankel (visiting student)

Funding

We are grateful for funding support from the following agencies:

• National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
• Australian Research Council
• Cancer Council Queensland
• Cancer Australia
• National Institutes of Health (USA)
• Melanoma Research Alliance
• Atlantic Philanthropies

Collaborators

Members of the Melanoma Institute Australia

Member groups of GenoMEL, the International Melanoma Genetics Consortium

Dr Kevin Brown (National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA)

Professor Jeffrey Trent (Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA)

Dr Andrew Barbour (Queensland University Department of Surgery, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane)