Frazer Group - Epithelial cancer
About
The main focus of our research is:
- understanding the immune response to cancers of epithelial surfaces
- developing novel therapies that enhance those immune responses
- studying the impact of the host microbiome on cancer development.
We are defining the mechanisms by which cervical and oropharyngeal cancer, while expressing viral antigens, still evade the host immune system.
Our goal is to use this information to develop effective immunotherapies for HPV associated squamous cancers.
We also aim to develop new approaches to skin cancer prevention based on altering the bacteria colonizing sundamaged skin.
We use genomics, proteomics, and single cell analysis of RNA to analyse human and animal skin samples, with work funded by program and project grants from the NHMRC, The Garnet Passe foundation, the Merchant Foundation, and various other charities.
We are currently conducting a clinical trial of immunotherapy for Oropharyngeal cancer in collaboration with colleagues at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
We have several projects examining the nature of the immune responses induced by HPV infection, and by the vaccines we are trialling that target the HPV proteins expressed in cancers. These studies examine the specificity and functions of the individual components of the immune system - Dendritic cells, Helper T cells, Cytotoxic T cells, Macrophages, and Epithelial cells.
We are also examining the nature of the bacteria that colonise sun damaged skin, determining the toxins they produce that alter the skin immune system and the pre-cancer cells.