Research Focus
The Conjoint Gastroenterology Laboratory studies the molecular genetic alterations which underlie the progression of benign bowel polyps to bowel cancer.
It has a particular interest in serrated polyps which were previously thought to have no malignant potential but are now recognised to be the precursors of approximately 20% of bowel cancers. This work has led to profound changes in the practice of colonoscopy so that it now better protects against bowel cancer.
The laboratory has now developed an animal model of the serrated pathway and are testing chemoprevention strategies. The bowel cancers which arise through the serrated pathway often carry an oncogenic BRAF mutation and develop DNA methylation silencing important genes such as mismatch repair genes. These characteristics are important in predicting prognosis and response to chemotherapy and this is also a focus of our research programme.
Collaboration with gastroenterologists, surgeons, pathologists and oncologists is a key aspect of its research.
Gallery
Research Projects
Current Research Projects
Molecular alterations causing progression of the serrated polyp to colorectal cancer and better identification of high risk polyps
Utilising a mouse model to understand the association of BRAF mutation with DNA methylation in the serrated neoplastic pathway and as a pre-clinical model of chemoprevention strategies
Discovering further genetic changes underlying different subtypes of colorectal cancer which may enable improved chemotherapy options
Research Team
Jennifer Borowsky
Julia Hulbert
Krystal Lianos
Prerna Tarun Gupta
Funding
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
- Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
- Pathology Queensland
- Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA)
- Australasian Gastrointestinal Trials Group (AGITG)
Further Information
- Associate Professor Neal Walker, Envoi Specialist Pathologists
- Dr Ian Brown, Envoi Specialist Pathologists
- Asspciate Professor Christophe Rosty, Envoi Specialist Pathologists
- Dr Matthew Burge, Cancer Care Services, RBWH
- Associate Professor David Wyld, Cancer Care Services, RBWH
- Associate Professor Melissa Eastgate Burge, Cancer Care Services, RBWH
- Asspcoate Professor Daniel Worthley, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
- Dr Susan Woods, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
- Professor John Mariadason, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute
- Professor Shuji Ogino, Dana-Faber Cancer Institute, USA
- Professpr Akinobu Taketomi, Hokkaido University, Japan