Dr Maya Kansara | UNSW Research

Keywords

Fields of Research (FoR)

Oncology and carcinogenesis

SEO tags

Cancer and Related Disorders

Biography

Dr Maya Kansara is a translational oncology leader whose work connects cancer biology, biomarker discovery and precision medicine with clinical trial development.

She is Head of Translational Oncology at the Centre of Molecular Oncology, UNSW Sydney and Omico, where her work supports precision oncology by helping match people with cancer to molecular profiling and relevant clinical trial opportunities.

Her research focuses on sarcomas,...view more

Dr Maya Kansara is a translational oncology leader whose work connects cancer biology, biomarker discovery and precision medicine with clinical trial development.

Her research focuses on sarcomas, particularly osteosarcoma. She has made major contributions to understanding osteosarcoma biology and immunobiology, including developing immune-competent mouse models to study how the immune system influences tumour growth, progression and treatment response.

Her translational work has helped inform new therapeutic strategies, including a clinical trial of tildrakizumab in sarcoma patients following her research on IL-23 in osteosarcoma. She also works with clinical and pharmaceutical partners to develop biomarkers for emerging cancer therapies.

Her current work focuses on correlative science in clinical trials, especially biomarkers of treatment response and protein biomarker screening to support clinical trial matching. Overall, her work aims to improve how patients are matched to effective precision cancer treatments.

My Qualifications

BSc (Hons), Victoria University, New Zealand

PhD, Otago University, New Zealand

My Research Activities

My current research activities focus on correlative science, biomarker development and precision oncology. I use patient biospecimens collected through clinical trials to investigate biomarkers of treatment response and resistance, with the aim of improving biomarker-informed patient matching to clinical trials. A key focus of my work is screening patients with advanced cancer for protein biomarkers using multiplex immunohistochemistry, supporting selection for targeted therapy and antibody-drug conjugate trials.

Through my role at the Centre of Molecular Oncology, UNSW and Omico, I contribute to translational research that connects molecular and protein biomarker testing with clinical trial opportunities for people with cancer. I also work with pharmaceutical companies and clinical trial partners to develop and implement clinically relevant biomarkers for targeted therapies and emerging cancer treatments. My broader research interests include tumour immunology, sarcoma and osteosarcoma biology, and the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical research.

My Engagement

Professional engagement

Member, Scientific Advisory Committee, Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association.
Member, Molecular Tumour Board, MoST/CaSP Omico.
Member, Cancer Screening Program Steering Committee, Omico.
Member, The Centre for Molecular Oncology, UNSW, Executive Committee.

Community and advocacy engagement

Advisory engagement with the Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation, supporting advocacy for people affected by sarcoma.
Engagement with the sarcoma research and patient community to support translational research, clinical trial awareness and patient-centred research priorities.

Industry and translational engagement

Collaboration with pharmaceutical companies and clinical trial partners to develop and implement clinically relevant biomarkers for emerging cancer therapies.
Biomarker and correlative science support for precision oncology trials, including targeted therapy and antibody-drug conjugate studies.