Eckersley-Maslin laboratory: Stem cell and cancer epigenetics
Research Overview
View Dr Melanie Eckersley-Maslin's latest publications listing here.
Dr Melanie Eckersley-Maslin was recently awarded the prestigious Snow Fellowship. Read the article here.
Research in the Eckersley-Maslin laboratory explores how developmental epigenetic programs are hijacked by cancers. Epigenetics provides a stable cell identity while priming cells for change. During embryonic development the epigenetic plasticity of cells is tightly controlled and regulated in part by priming factors. These establish a permissive epigenetic landscape to enable future transcriptional changes. Cancer cells frequently have a distorted cell identity and adapt epigenetic, transcriptomic and phenotypic properties associated with embryonic cells. By discovering the principles driving epigenetic plasticity in development, we can further our understanding of how this goes awry in cancer, leading to new areas for therapeutic intervention. For more information please visit our website.
Image 1: Colony of mouse embryonic stem cells fluorescently stained for epigenetic factors Dppa2 (red), Dppa4 (blue) and DNA in blue.
Staff
Dr Melanie Eckersley-Maslin, Head of Laboratory
Dr Eleanor Glancy, Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr Katie Fennell, Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr Janith Seneviratne, Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr Matt Neve, Postdoctoral Researcher
Tongtong Wang, PhD Candidate
Dian Kwang, PhD Candidate
Natalie Choy, Research Assistant
Ruby Johnstone, Research Assistant
Clare Crisp, Research Assistant
Collaborators
Prof Alicia Oshlack, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia
Dr Ben Blyth, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia
A/Prof Ben Parker, University of Melbourne, Australia
A/Prof Christine Chaffer, Garvan Institute, Australia
A/Prof Marian Burr, ANU, Australia
Dr Peter Rugg-Gunn, Babraham Institute, UK
Dr Shabih Shakeel, WEHI, Australia
A/Prof Shom Goel, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia
Dr Simao T da Rocha, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Prof Stephen Fox, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia
Dr Vi Wickramasinghe, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia
Funding
Snow Medical
Australian Stem Cell Foundation
Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation
Lorenzo and Pamela Galli Medical Research Trust
Research Opportunities
This research project is available to PhD students, Honours students, Post Doctor Researchers to join as part of their thesis.
Please contact the Research Group Leader to discuss your options.