Our Members

Professor David Callen

Head, Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory (Breast Cancer Genetics Group and the Sarcoma Research Group)

Director, Centre for Personalised Cancer Medicine

Postgraduate Coordinator, School of Medicine

Recent publications

This laboratory has an emphasis on cancer molecular and cell biology with an increasing emphasis on translation of the findings to develop novel diagnostics and therapeutics. Research themes include novel tumour suppressor genes in breast cancer, modulating the gain-of-function of the cancer specific mutations of tumour suppressor p53, development of new molecular based strategies for treatment of sarcomas, and development and testing of new demethylating agents.

Professor Timothy Hughes

Head of the Department of Haematology at IMVS (RAH site)

Consultant Haematologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital

His clinical interests include chronic leukaemias and myeloproliferative disorders. His current research interests are in molecular monitoring for leukaemias, clinical resistance to targeted therapies in leukaemia and the development of assays to predict response and resistance to targeted agents.

Associate Professor Deborah White

Scientific Head, Department of Haematology, IMVS

Recent publications

The focus of her research is the cell and molecular biology of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia, with specific emphasis on patient responses to the recently developed tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) including imatinib, nilotinib and dasatinib. Her current major focus is the complex interaction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors with their target cells, and elucidation of associated drug transporter, and protein:protein interactions.. By furthering our understanding of leukaemic cell responses to TKIs, we hope to gain insight into how therapy can be improved.

Prof Luen Bik To

Head, Haematology Clinical Research Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital

Recent publications

Prof To’s research focus on AML is to identify molecular and immunophenotypic markers that correlate with outcome and provide therapeutic targets. In myeloma he has international collaborations on autografting, while in Adelaide the focus is on the mediators of bone disease and how microenvironment influences myeloma behaviour. Recently Prof To re-visited the immunophenotypic approach to define AML subgroups and showed that it is an independent predictor of induction failure in AML.

Prof Andrew Zannettino

Head, Myeloma Research Laboratory, IMVS

Co-Head, Regenerative Medicine Program, IMVS

Recent publications

Over that last decade, the Prof Zannettino’s efforts have centred on identifying the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for myeloma disease progression and myeloma-associated bone loss. Prof Zannettino and his colleagues have identified a number of molecules with critical roles in myeloma disease progression and bone disease including RANKL, CXCL12, TWEAK and N-cadherin. More recently, his laboratory discovered that tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) affect key kinase enzymes with pivotal roles in skeletal metabolism, raising the possibility that TKIs may be used to limit malignancy-associated bone loss.

Professor Richard D'Andrea

Chief Medical Scientist, Haematology/Oncology Department, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Co-head, Acute Leukaemia Laboratory, Haematology Division, IMVS/SA Pathology

Recent publications

His research program has staff based at both sites. His research interest are the molecular genetics of blood disease, in particular the myeloid leukaemias and myeloproliferative disease. He has a number of basic research projects investigating receptors and transcription factors that are important in these diseases and is also working with patient tumour material, clinical data and access to clinical trials to translate findings from these basic studies into the clinic.

Professor Andreas Evdokiou

Head of Breast Cancer Research Unit (BCRU), Discipline of Surgery, The Basil Hetzel Institute, University of Adelaide

Professor Evdokiou is an NHMRC Research Fellow and Head of the Breast Cancer Research Unit in the Discipline of Surgery, within the Basil Hetzel Institute, University of Adelaide. His scientific achievements relate to a substantial contribution to the field of skeletal malignancies particularly to our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development, progression and metastatic spread of breast cancer. He has developed numerous animal models of primary and metastatic cancer and established state of the art multimodal non-invasive imaging approaches for evaluating the anticancer efficacy of novel therapeutics. He has particular interest in apoptosis research and death receptor signalling.

Dr Lisa Butler

Head, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Group, Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories, School of Medicine

Current research interests are focused on novel therapeutic strategies for prostate and breast cancer involving inhibitors of hormone action, identification of biomarkers that predict disease behaviour and response to specific therapies on an individual basis, and development of animal and human tissue-based models for preclinical studies.

Professor Michael Brown

Director, Cancer Clinical Trials Unit, and Senior Consultant, Department of Medical Oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Centre

Clinical Professor, School of Medicine

Head, Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory, Hanson Institute, Royal Adelaide Hospital

Recent publications

Prof Brown is an experienced medical oncologist with a specialist focus on melanoma and lung cancer. He has extensive experience in the design and conduct of phase I clinical trials. He supervises interdisciplinary laboratory research in cancer immunotherapy and radioimmunotherapy.

Professor Dorothy Keefe

Cancer Council SA Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Adelaide

Head, Mucositis Research Group, Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories, School of Medicine

Chair of the State-wide Cancer Clinical Network

Director of CNAHS Regional Cancer Services and Clinical Director of RAH Cancer Centre.

Recent publications

Prof Keefe is heavily involved in planning for Cancer Services on a State and National level, while advocating for Supportive Care in Cancer internationally. She also leads the Mucosotis Research Group, who are studying mucosal injury from cancer therapy (e.g. chemotherapy), its relationship with other toxicities of cancer therapy and and methods for prevention and treatment of these toxicities.

Dr Ian Lewis

Medical Manager, Therapeutic Products Facility, Division of Haematology, IMVS

Head of Clinical Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Royal Adelaide Hospital

Dr Lewis is a clinical haematologist with a major interest in malignant blood disease and an active research interest. He is involved in a number of clinical trials and has a number of collaborative research projects.

Professor Grantley Gill

Head, Breast and Endocrine Surgical Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital

Surgical Coordinator, BreastScreen SA

Prof Gill is Chair of The Royal Australasian College Of Surgeons SNAC Trial, a multicentre Australian Phase III Study Role of sentinel node biopsy in early breast cancer. He is a participant in ANZBCTG trials of adjuvant therapies including endocrine therapies in early breast cancer and in industry funded studies of new therapies in breast cancer.

Professor Andrew Somogyi

Professor of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences.

Recent publications

His research interests are in elucidating the mechanisms of variability in drug action through studies on drug metabolism and transport, pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics with specific reference to the opioid class of drugs used in the therapeutic areas of pain therapy and drugs used for symptom control. He has translated his research into clinical practice by establishing a Pharmacogenetics Service at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and provides regular consultancy on the role of pharmacogenomics in adverse drug reactions to clinicians and patients Australia-wide.

Professor Paul Rolan

Professor of Clinical Pharmacology Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences

Recent publications

Professor Paul Rolan has over two decades of experience in the clinical evaluation of novel medicines. This experience was from both within a major pharma Company (the Wellcome Foundation, UK) and subsequently a University-operated contract research organisation, now part of the ICON group of companies. Paul has been Principal Investigator in over 650 clinical pharmacology studies including over 70 new molecules in man. Hence, he has high level international expertise in translational drug development. Paul is on the Board of Lipotek, a Canberra based vaccine Company with a cancer vaccine currently in clinical trials. Paul’s contribution to the group will be to help shape targeted preclinical programmes to enable rapid evaluation of potential new treatments in patients.

Professor Andrew Abell

Professor of Discipline of Chemistry

Prof Abell has expertise in medicinal chemistry and developing peptide-based therapeutics. He has worked closely with the international pharmaceutical industry and has experience and expertise in the potential commercialisation of such agents.

Dr Denis Scanlon

Adjunct Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry

Dr Scanlon has extensive experience in the field of peptide research. His interests include the synthesis of fibril forming peptides, biologically active insulin-like peptides and peptide cancer therapeutics which may be used to improve the diagnosis and/or clinical treatment of cancer.

Professor Tanya Monro

ARC Federation Fellow, Director of the Institute for Photonics & Advanced Sensing (IPAS)

Director of the Centre of Expertise in Photonics, School of Chemistry & Physics

Recent publications

Prof Monro’s vision of IPAS is to bring together researchers in physics, chemistry and biology to pursue a transdisciplinary approach to science. Professor Monro is an established leader in photonics, and has achieved numerous world firsts in research. This research has made a significant contribution to our understanding of how light can be generated, controlled, and used to manipulate and probe matter on the micro and nanoscale. This research has spanned from the development of new theoretical models, the identification of new regimes and fabrication and experimental breakthroughs, and has led to the development of new forms of optical fibres for applications in telecommunications, defence and health.

Associate Professor Tamas Revesz

Senior Haematologist-Oncologist, Women's & Children's Hospital

Associate Professor of Paediatrics, University of Adelaide

A/Prof Revesz's scientific research focuses on the clinical and laboratory aspects of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children. As a clinician, he also treats children with leukaemia and other malignancies and patients with other haematological conditions, such as bone marrow failure, coagulation and thrombotic disorders. 

Associate Professor Susan Neuhaus

General Surgeon and Surgical Oncologist, Royal Adelaide Hospital

Clinical Associate Professor, University of Adelaide

A/Prof Neuhaus is a general surgeon and surgical oncologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, which includes melanoma and sarcoma surgery. She is the Director of the Australiasion Sarcoma Study Group and a member of the Australian Melanoma Trials Group (ANTMTG).