Brilliant minds making inroads

Thanks to generous donations from people like you, our Researchers are making significant inroads into finding new ways to screen, treat and conquer gynae cancers.

We’ve selected a couple of examples to show you the type of research work we’re currently doing.

Australian & International Award-Winning Actor, The Late Carmen Duncan, 1942-2019, Honoured By Agcf For Her Advocacy For Research Into Gynaecological Cancers, Saving Women’s Lives;

Carmen Duncan Memorial Gynaecological Cancer Research Fellowship 2024 Awarded To Assoc Professor, Liz Caldon Phd.

In Sydney, on the 8th August, the Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation (AGCF) hosted the presentation of the Carmen Duncan Memorial Fellowship Award, by Carmen’s daughter, Amelia Barrett, to ovarian cancer researcher, Dr Liz Caldon, PhD, Conjoint Assoc Professor, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, UNSW.

Carmen advocated tirelessly over 15 years for increased gynaecological cancer research funding, as CEO of the GO (Gynaecology Oncology) Research Fund at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, and nationally, as an Ambassador for the AGCF. Sadly Carmen died from a rare gynae cancer in 2019.

Dr Caldon’s successful research application, Identifying drivers of resistance to PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer, was selected by an independent Scientific Advisory Committee to AGCF, led by Professor Jonathan Carter, MBBS, FRANZCOG, MS, MD, CGO. The 2 year, $150 thousand, NSW-based grant, will enable Dr Caldon and her small team from the Garvan Institute to conduct research aimed at improving survival rates for women with ovarian cancers.

I am thrilled with this award said Dr Caldon. It is an honour to be the recipient of the Carmen Duncan Memorial Fellowship and represent AGCF as a Fellow. Our work has been developed over several years on minimal funding. The research grant will make a substantial difference to our ability to continue this important work.

The urgency of Dr Caldon’s research with PARP inhibitors in improving treatments for ovarian cancer is compelling; more than 51% of women with ovarian cancer in Australia today will not survive 5 years.

The main thing in this era of advanced molecular biology is to maintain hope, said Professor Neville Hacker, AM MD, Founder & Director, AGCF. A new targeted therapy may be just around the corner. Research gives hope. All of the major advances in gynae cancer treatments have occurred through laboratory research.

The AGCF has a proud record of funding post PhD researchers and we are pleased to welcome Dr Caldon as an AGCF Fellow.

The AGCF Board thanks the Duncan family and the NSW Government for their funding support to make this grant possible, said Professor Hacker.

The AGCF is the only Australian foundation funding laboratory research into all 8 gynaecological cancers: vulval, vaginal, cervical, endometrial, fallopian, ovarian, peritoneal and placental. Almost 7000 new cases of gynae cancer are diagnosed each year. Only cervical cancer has a reliable screening test and a vaccine. About 31% of women with a gynae cancer will not survive 5 years.

The AGCF Board is proud to have awarded its fourth Gynae Cancer Research Fellowship, and welcomes Dr Liz Caldon PhD, as a Fellow, alongside Dr Dong Li, PhD, Lowy Institute, Dr Dane Cheasley, Senior Researcher, Peter Mac Cancer Centre, and Dr Aime Powell, PhD, Notre Dame University, WA.

Prof Neville Hacker AM MD, Founder & Director, AGCF.

Early 2025 Update on A/Prof Liz Caldon’s Research: Identifying Drivers of Resistance to PARP Inhibitors in Ovarian Cancer

Supported by AGCF, Dr Zoe Phan and A/Prof Liz Caldon have recently completed a study on the best models to use to study drug effectiveness in ovarian cancer.

This study investigates PARP inhibitors, a type of cancer treatment, particularly for patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, which are often linked to breast and ovarian cancers. While these inhibitors have shown promise in clinical trials, many preclinical studies using cell lines have not translated into successful treatments. The researchers aimed to uncover why some laboratory models do not give the same results as seen in patients. They then set out to find better cell line models to test how sensitive cancer cells are to PARP inhibitors and how they work in combination with other therapies.

Dr Zoe Phan

To address this, the researchers used a specific type of cell model called an isogenic model, which has controlled genetic changes. They found that these models, particularly those with BRCA mutations, better reflected how patients might respond to PARP inhibitors alone and in combination with chemotherapy.

In summary, the study highlights the need for caution when using standard cell lines for research on PARP inhibitors. It suggests that using isogenic models with specific mutations may provide more accurate insights into how these treatments work in real patients. This could help improve future cancer therapies by ensuring that research models closely mimic actual patient responses.

Insights on Liz, outside the busy research world:

Outside of her research, Liz enjoys mentoring students and sharing her love for science with the next generation. She believes in fostering an environment where new ideas can thrive, and she actively engages in public outreach to raise awareness about women’s cancer.

In her personal life, Liz loves reading, especially Japanese and dystopian literature. She also enjoys skiing, walking, tasting new cuisines, and is a coffee enthusiast who likes trying out different brews. Along with her family, Liz is a regular at games of the Sydney Swifts netball team, and hoping they get to the top of the pool in 2025!

Aboriginal women at increased risk of cervical cancer incidence and mortality

In 2018, Dr Aime Powell BExSc MExSc PhD was awarded the Cindy Sullivan Fellowship. She is currently employed by The Institute of Health Research, University of Notre Dame in Perth and is funded by St John of God Hospital Subiaco as an Early Career Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Her research project is entitled “Aboriginal women at increased risk of cervical cancer incidence and mortality: Quantifying the risk in an era of national prevention programs.”

In 2016, the National Framework for Gynaecological Cancer Control reported a critical need to improve gynaecological cancer outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (including prevention of cervical cancer). Aboriginal women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and four times more likely to die from the disease when compared to non-aboriginal women. There has been no reduction in cervical cancer incidence and mortality for Aboriginal women, despite the National Cervical Screening Program.

Dr Paul Cohen, Director Gynaecological Cancer research, St John of God Hospital Subiaco, supervised Dr Powell in her research. Dr Cohen is a well-respected and active member for the Australian Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, The Australian and New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group, and the Australian Society of Gynaecological Oncologists (ASGO).

You can read the latest on Dr Powell’s research here.

Genetic profiling of women with low-grade serous ovarian cancer

Dr Dane Cheasley BBiolSc (hons), PhD from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne was selected as the successful applicant for the AGCF and Way in Network Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award 2017 – AGCF’s first Postdoctoral Fellowship grant.

In 2017, Dr Cheasley currently held a full-time position at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre as a Postdoctoral Fellow, working on genetic and genomic studies of interval breast cancers and rare ovarian cancers. He has also held a postdoctoral research fellowship position at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne.

Dr Cheasley’s research hoped to fill in one of the gaps in the current treatment of ovarian cancer. Despite the fact that 200,000 women are diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer world-wide annually and only approximately 48% survive five years, ovarian cancer has for many years been treated as a single disease.

It is now known that there are multiple distinct subtypes of ovarian cancer, and each subtype has a different genetic profile. One of the less common subtypes is low-grade serous carcinoma, which is particularly common in young women. This cancer is difficult to treat because it is usually resistant to chemotherapy. Dr Cheasley’s research looked at the genetic profile of women with low-grade serous ovarian cancer, with a view to better understanding why the disease is resistant to chemotherapy. His research also attempted to develop a new, effective gene (or targeted) therapy for the disease.

Professor Ian Campbell, Head of the Cancer Genetics Laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre supervised Dr Cheasley in his research. Professor Campbell is an industry pioneer in breast and ovarian cancer genetics and geometrics and has established an international reputation for research excellence in these areas.

You can read the latest on Dr Cheasley’s research here.