Translational Breast Cancer Research Group

TRANSLATIONAL BREAST CANCER RESEARCH

Our group focuses on identifying predictive and prognostic biomarkers primarily in breast cancer, although we also study molecular biomarkers in lung cancer and melanoma. We have developed large cohorts of patients with breast cancer and work closely with basic science research groups at the Kinghorn Cancer Centre/Garvan and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital as well as nationally and internationally to promote the rapid translation of scientific discoveries.

Our group is multidisciplinary consisting of pathologists, scientists, medical and radiation oncologists and surgeons from a number of leading teaching hospitals. We have particular expertise in human and mouse model mammary pathology, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridisation and statistical analysis.

Selected Publications

Radhika Nair, Daniel L Roden,Wee S Teo, Andrea McFarland, Simon Junankar, Sunny Ye, Akira  Nguyen, Jessica Yang, Iva Nikolic, Mun Hui, Adrienne Morey, Jaynish Shah, Adam D Pfefferle, Jerry Usary, Christina Selinger, Laura A Baker, Nicola Armstrong, Mark J Cowley, Mathew J Naylor, Christopher  J Ormandy, Sunil R Lakhani, Jason I Herschkowitz , Charles M Perou, Warren Kaplan, Sandra A O’Toole, Alexander Swarbrick. c-Myc and Her2 cooperate to drive a stem-like phenotype with poor prognosis in breast cancer. Oncogene July 2013 (in press).

Chris C. Wolford, Stephen J. McConoughey, Swati P. Jalgaonkar, Marino Leon,Anand S. Merchant, Johnna L. Dominick, Xin Yin,Yiseok Chang, Erik J. Zmuda, Sandra A. O’Toole, Ewan K.A. Millar, Stephanie L. Roller, Charles L. Shapiro, Michael C. Ostrowski, Robert L. Sutherland, and Tsonwin Hai. Transcription factor ATF3 links host adaptive response to breast cancer metastasis. J Clin Invest June 2013 (in press).

Selinger CI, Rogers TM, Russell PA, O'Toole S, Yip P, Wright GM, Wainer Z, Horvath LG, Boyer M, McCaughan B, Kohonen-Corish MR, Fox S, Cooper WA, Solomon B.  Testing for ALK rearrangement in lung adenocarcinoma: a multicenter comparison of immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in situ hybridization. Mod Pathol. 2013 Jun 7. doi: 10.1038/modpathol.2013.87.

Cooper WA, Yu B, Yip PY, Ng CC, Lum T, Farzin M, Trent RJ, Mercorella B, Clarkson A, Kohonen-Corish MR, Horvath LG, Kench JG, McCaughan B, Gill AJ, O'Toole SA. EGFR mutant-specific immunohistochemistry has high specificity and sensitivity for detecting targeted activating EGFR mutations in lung adenocarcinoma. J Clin Pathol. 2013; Jun 11. [Epub ahead of print]

Schade B, Lesurf R, Sanguin-Gendreau V, Bui T, Deblois G, O'Toole SA, Millar EK, Zardawi SJ, Lopez-Knowles E, Sutherland RL, Giguere V, Kahn M, Hallett M, Muller WJ.  β-catenin signaling is a critical event in ErbB2-mediated mammary tumor progression. Cancer Res. 2013; Jun 10. [Epub ahead of print]

Po Yee Yip, Bing Yu,Wendy A. Cooper, Christina I. Selinger, Chu Chin Ng, Catherine Kennedy, Maija R.J. Kohonen-Corish, Brian C. McCaughan, Ronald J. Trent, Michael J. Boyer, James G. Kench, Lisa G. Horvath, Sandra A. O’Toole. Patterns of DNA mutations and ALK rearrangement in resected node negative lung adenocarcinoma. J Thorac Oncol. 2013; 8(4):408-14.

Shields BJ, Wiede F, Gurzov EN, Wee K, Hauser C, Zhu HJ, Molloy TJ, O'Toole SA, Daly RJ, Sutherland RL, Mitchell CA, McLean CA, Tiganis T. TCPTP regulates SFK and STAT3 signaling and is lost in triple-negative breast cancers. Mol Cell Biol. 2013; 33(3):557-70.

Millar EK, Graham PH, McNeil CM, Browne L, O'Toole SA, Boulghourjian A, Kearsley JH, Papadatos G, Delaney G, Fox C, Nasser E, Capp A, Sutherland RL. Prediction of outcome of early ER+ breast cancer is improved using a biomarker panel, which includes Ki-67 and p53. Br J Cancer. 2011; 105(2):272-80.

O'Toole SA, Machalek DA, Shearer RF, Millar EK, Nair R, Schofield P, McLeod D, Cooper CL, McNeil CM, McFarland A, Nguyen A, Ormandy CJ, Qiu MR, Rabinovich B, Martelotto LG, Vu D, Hannigan GE, Musgrove EA, Christ D, Sutherland RL, Watkins DN, Swarbrick A. Hedgehog overexpression is associated with stromal interactions and predicts for poor outcome in breast cancer. Cancer Res. 2011; 71(11):4002-14.

Millar EK, Graham PH, O'Toole SA, McNeil CM, Browne L, Morey AL, Eggleton S, Beretov J, Theocharous C, Capp A, Nasser E, Kearsley JH, Delaney G, Papadatos G, Fox C, Sutherland RL. Prediction of local recurrence, distant metastases, and death after breast-conserving therapy in early-stage invasive breast cancer using a five-biomarker panel. J Clin Oncol. 2009; 27(28):4701-8


More Garvan Publications

Staff in the Group

Dr Ewan Millar

Visiting Scientist

Aparna Raina

Visiting Professional