Mutations in the tumour suppressor p53 are common in cancers, and confer poor therapeutic responses. Despite decades of research, it is still not clear how mutant p53 contributes to sustained tumour growth. Understanding thiswill inform on therapeutic approaches for patients with mutant p53 cancers. To address this, we have generated novel mouse models in which the endogenous p53 locus can be switched between different p53 states (mutant, wild-type and knock-out) at will. We have crossed these mice to cancerprone mouse models to allow a systematic assessment of the role of mutant p53 in cancer growth and responses to therapy.

About the speaker: Professor Gemma Kelly is a Laboratory Head within the Blood Cells and Blood Cancer (BCBC) Division at WEHI and an NHMRC Leadership Fellow. She carried out her PhD studies in the UK and relocated to Australia in 2009 following the award of a Kay Kendall Leukemia Fund Fellowship. In 2019 she started her lab focused on improving outcomes for blood cancer patients by targeting the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. The team use novel preclinical cancer models and sophisticated genetic screening to identify resistance factors to cancer therapy and identify new therapeutic regimens that can induce deeper responses.

Join us: Tuesday 27 October, 12:00pm, ACMD Auditorium, Level 1, 27 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy (enter via Nicholson Street)