RESEARCH

Together Caring, Together Curing

Medical research and innovations in patient care improve health outcomes and our lives. These advancements in treatments, interventions, processes and rehabilitation do not occur overnight. They can take years, even decades of research by some of Australia’s brightest medical minds.

PBCF pays tribute to our donors. Our ability to fund groundbreaking research is down to you and your support. 

St. George Cancer Research Centre

A number of promising areas of research into cancer are underway at the St George Cancer Centre.

Research includes:

  • Investigation of the ways prostate & ovarian cancers metastasise (spread), identifying drug and radio-resistance associated with tumour micro-environments, and cancer stem cell & epithelial cell changes
  • Investigation of ‘novel biomarkers’ in human body fluids, looking for markers that indicate cancer. This work offers hope of new methods of early diagnosis, so critical in many cancers where the symptoms only become known when it’s too late.

The aim is to develop targeted and combination cancer therapies to control metastatic prostate, breast and ovarian cancers.

This work will also have application for other similar cancers as well.

Targeted therapies

Targeted terapies are a new range of drugs (chemo) that target only the cancer. Advances will mean that patients are likely to live longer with a higher quality of life, as these treatments offer less risk, less side effects and a greater impact on the cancer.

Published Research

Immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer: A molecular insight into the microenvironment, treatment, and resistance

Xupeng Bai, Jie Ni, Julia Beretov, Peter Graham, Yong Li (2012)

Activation of the eIF2α/ATF4 axis drives triple-negative breast cancer radioresistance by promoting glutathione biosynthesis

Xupeng Bai, Jie Ni, Julia Beretov, Valerie C. Wasinger, Shanping Wang f, Ying Zhu, Peter Graham, Yong Li (2021)

THOC2 and THOC5 Regulate Stemness and Radioresistance in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Xupeng Bai, Jie Ni, Julia Beretov, Shanping Wang, Xingli Dong, Peter Graham, and Yong Li (2021)

Extracellular vesicles: the next generation of biomarkers for liquid biopsy-based prostate cancer diagnosis

Bairen Pang, Ying Zhu,  Jie Ni, James Thompson,  David Malouf, Joseph Bucci,  Peter Graham, Yong Li (2020)

Xupeng Baia,b, Jie Nia,b, Julia Beretova,b,c, Peter Grahama,b, Yong Lia (2020)

Exosomes in Cancer Radioresistance

Jie Ni, Joseph Bucci, David Malouf, Matthew Knox, Peter Graham1, Yong Li (2019)

CHTOP in Chemoresistant Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Novel and Potential Therapeutic Target

Xiaojie Feng, Xupeng Bai, Jie Ni, Valerie C. Wasinger, Julia Beretov, Ying Zhu, Peter Graham, and Yong Li (2019)

Cancer stem cell in breast cancer therapeutic resistance

Xupeng Baia, Jie Ni, Julia Beretova, Peter Grahama,  Yong Li (2018)

Urinary biomarkers in prostate cancer detection and monitoring progression
Duojia Wua,b , Jie Nia,b , Julia Beretova,b,c , Paul Cozzib,d , Mark Willcoxe , Valerie Wasingerf,g , Bradley Walshh , Peter Grahama,b , Yong Li (2017)

Targeting MicroRNAs in Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy

Jie Ni, Joseph Bucci, Lei Chang, David Malouf,  Peter Graham, Yong Li (2017)

Proteomics discovery of radioresistant cancer biomarkers for radiotherapy

Lei Chang, Peter Graham, Jingli Hao, Joseph Bucci, David Malouf, David Gillatt, Yong Li, (2015)

Targeting PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in the treatment of prostate cancer radioresistance

Lei Changa, Peter H. Grahama, Jie Ni, Jingli Hao, Joseph Bucci, Paul J. Cozzi, Yong Li (2015)

Cancer Stem Cells in Prostate Cancer Chemoresistance 

Jie Ni, Paul Cozzi, Jingli Hao, Wei Duan, Peter Graham, John Kearsley, and Yong Li, (2014)

CD44 Variant 6 is Associated With Prostate Cancer Metastasis and Chemo-/Radioresistance

Jie Ni, Paul J. Cozzi, Jing L. Hao, Julia Beretov, Lei Chang, Wei Duan, Sarah Shigdar, Warick J. Delprado,  Peter H. Graham, Joseph Bucci, John H. Kearsley, and Yong Li (2014)

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is associated with prostate cancer metastasis and chemo/radioresistance via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway

Jie Ni, Paul Cozzi, Jingli Haoa,b, Julia Beretova, Lei Changa, Wei Duane, Sarah Shigdar, Warick Delpradof, Peter Grahama, Joseph Bucci, John Kearsleya, Yong Li (2013)