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Garvan Institute

Sections
 

Epigenetics

 

Cancer cells deactivate large regions of DNA by a biochemical process called methylation. Our research focuses on understanding the process that triggers abnormal methylation and demethylation between normal and cancer cells. We have developed different methods to detect methylation changes during development and have noticed that these ‘epigenetic’ changes can take place across very large regions of DNA during cancer development. We are trying to work out the sequence of events so that we can try to reverse the process, as we believe these regions may contain genes that normally prevent the development of tumours.

 

Staff

 

Claire StirzakerSenior Research Officer
Dr Clare Stirzaker
Toby HulfSenior Research Officer
Dr Toby Hulf
Nicola ArmstrongSenior Bioinformatics Officer
Dr Nicola Armstrong
Kate PattersonResearch Officer
Dr Kate Patterson
Mark Robinson2Senior Bioinformatics Officer
Dr Mark Robinson
(co-appointment with WEHI)
Shalima NairResearch Officer
Dr Shalima Nair
(co-appointment with ACRF)
Rebecca HinshelwoodResearch Officer
Dr Rebecca Hinshelwood
Fatima Valdes-MoresResearch Officer
Dr Fatima Valdes Mora
Jenny SongSenior Research Assistant
Jenny Song
Wenjia QuResearch Assistant
Wenjia Qu
 Tennille SibbrittResearch Assistant
Tennille Sibbritt
Dario StrbenacResearch Assistant
Dario Strbenac

Zena KassirPhD Student
Zena Kassir
Saul BertPhD Student
Saul Bert
Aaron StathamPhD Student
Aaron Statham
Warwick LockePhD Student
Warwick Locke


Honorary Researcher
Dr Erik Wiklund

 


Recent publication

As published in Nucleic Acids Research (see below), our lab has developed software to assist in the design and analysis of experiments measuring DNA methylation using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Click here to download.

For question and comments, please contact Aaron Statham ( a.statham'at'garvan.org.au).

Ref: Coolen MW, Statham A, Gardiner-Garden M, Clark SJ. Genomic profiling of CpG methylation and allelic specificity using quantitative high-throughput mass spectrometry: critical evaluation and improvements. Nucleic Acids Research 2007:10.1093/nar/gkm662.

 

News

 

What it might take to unravel the ‘lean mean machine’ that is cancer

MEDIA RELEASE: 22 Feb 2010
Garvan scientists have published a paper, online today in Nature Cell Biology, describing gene expression in a prostate cancer cell: more sweeping, more targeted and more complex than we could ever have imagined, even five years ago.
 
 

Epigenetics featured in NHMRC ‘Ten of the Best Research Projects 2009’

17 Aug 2009
The work of Garvan’s Professor Susan Clark is featured in the NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) 10 of the Best Research Projects 2009 booklet, launched this morning in Canberra. Of the hundreds of research projects funded by the NHMRC each year, the booklet highlights those that best help combat some of the nation’s biggest health challenges.
 
 

A step towards finding the cancer switch

MEDIA RELEASE: 17 Jun 2009
Garvan epigeneticists describe exactly what happens to a person's DNA the moment at which a breast cancer suppressor gene is switched off - taking us one step closer towards finding ways to control the biochemical processes that 'switch on' bad genes and 'switch off' good ones.
 
 

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