Research programme 04
Precision biomarkers and therapeutic vulnerabilities
We integrate genomic, molecular and clinical evidence to identify biomarkers and drug targets for genetically defined tumour subtypes.
Central question
Can multi-layered tumour data be converted into reliable biomarkers that predict prognosis and response to targeted or immune-based therapies?
The laboratory combines genomic datasets, clinical annotations and functional experiments to move from molecular association to actionable cancer biology. This includes identifying biomarkers of aggressive disease, testing mutation- and expression-defined dependencies, and evaluating therapeutic combinations in preclinical systems.
Particular attention is given to the quality and interpretation of cancer genomic data. By linking computational discovery with CRISPR validation, molecular modelling, microscopy and drug testing, the programme seeks to prioritise vulnerabilities that can be developed for precision medicine while remaining relevant to the clinical and population context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Approaches
- Pan-cancer and multi-omic data integration
- Biomarker discovery and survival modelling
- CRISPR-based functional validation
- Molecular modelling
- Preclinical drug and combination testing
- Clinical annotation and data-quality assessment
Selected work
- Impact of Clinical Data Veracity on Cancer Genomic Research (2022)
- Breast cancer patient prognosis is determined by the interplay between TP53 mutation and alternative transcript expression (2021)
- A Study of TP53 RNA Splicing Illustrates Pitfalls of RNA-seq Methodology (2016)