Dr Angelica Marie Merlot

ILP, Honours, Masters or PhD

Dissecting the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in cancer cell progression and metastasis in the tumour microenvironment

Cancer metastasis is a major clinical problem that accounts for almost 90% of cancer-related deaths. Understanding the fundamental biological processes that lead to tumour metastasis is critical for the development of effective anti-cancer drugs. Moreover, there is an urgent need to better understand the molecular pathology of cancer to improve patient selection for current treatment options and develop novel therapeutic strategies.

This project aims to dissect the mechanism by which the pro-survival pathways of the Endoplasmic Reticulum modulates cancer progression and metastasis. Moreover, studies have demonstrated that these signals can be transmitted between cancer cells and cancer-associated helper cells, known as stromal cells. Considering the importance of cancer-stromal cross-talk in cancer development, we aim to elucidate the functional significance of this transmission for the first time.

This study will use cell culture (a range of cells lines, including glioblastoma, pancreatic, etc.), molecular biology techniques, fluorescent/confocal microscopy, orthotopic mouse model, immunohistochemistry of patient samples, etc. Feel free to contact Dr. Angelica Merlot (a.merlot@unsw.edu.au) to have a chat about whether the project matches your interests.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Developing albumin-based nanoparticles that overcome drug resistance and metastasis

This project will result in an exciting new class of albumin-based nanoparticles that markedly increase the efficacy of novel anti-tumour drugs, known as thiosemicarbazones, that are currently in clinical trials. These agents possess a unique combination of potent and selective properties against cancer cells that effectively inhibits the “triad of death” in cancer: namely primary tumour growth, metastasis and multi-drug resistance, representing an exciting new therapeutic avenue.

The project will use a combination of techniques including: nanoparticle synthesis, the use of patient derived cell lines, orthotopic mouse models, molecular biology experiments, microscopy, invasion/migration assays, etc. Feel free to contact Dr. Angelica Merlot (a.merlot@unsw.edu.au) to have a chat about whether the project matches your interests.