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Investigating the immune and inflammatory microenvironment in brain cancer
This project explores cellular and molecular biomarkers in the brain tumour microenvironment using wet lab based and bioinformatic technologies. Brain cancer encompasses several specific diseases and the project will explore the microenvironment in low-grade glioma, high-grade glioma (glioblastoma [GBM)]) and metastatic brain cancer using cells and tissue. The aim of the project is to understand the immune microenvironment in brain cancer and how this differs between patients and specific disease conditions, which will allow for the development of specific immunotherapies to better treat the diseases and improve patient outcomes.
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The efficacy of a DNA vaccine in a pre-clinical mouse model of brain cancer
Using a mouse model developed in our laboratory and in collaboration with Professor Rob Ramsay at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, we are investigating the utility of a novel DNA vaccine targeting the transcription factor, MYB, which is overexpressed in human glioblastoma.
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Signalling-specific mechanisms regulating brain tumour cell invasion
This project uses molecular and cell-based techniques to investigate the role of key factors involved in regulating brain tumour growth, drug resistance and cancer stem cell biology. We recently reported a novel role of the cAMP pathway in triggering death in some brain cancer cell lines. The sensitivity or resistance of these cells to cAMP-induced death correlates with the MAPK pathway and CD44 expression. We are investigating how these signalling pathways act both individually and cooperate to regulate malignant brain cancer tumour cell function, with a focus on tumour cell invasion.
Associate Professor Theo Mantamadiotis
(03) 8559 7065 | theom@unimelb.edu.au
- Position:
- Laboratory Head
- Theme(s):
- Immunology
- Discipline(s):
- Discovery Research, Computational Science and Genomics, Clinical and health systems research
- Unit(s):
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology (DMI)
- Lab Group(s):
- Mantamadiotis Group
Dr Theo Mantamadiotis has a background in biomedical research and joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in 2018, from the Department of Pathology. His major focus is understanding the molecular and cellular biology of brain cancer and he has a background in neural stem cell biology and brain development. His group aims to understand how the tumor microenvironment, including immune cells, contribute to oncogenesis and how to modulate the immune system to improve current brain cancer therapy.