Researcher

Dr Joanna Achinger-Kawecka

Keywords

Fields of Research (FoR)

Genome structure and regulation, Epigenetics (incl. genome methylation and epigenomics), Cancer cell biology

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Biography

Dr Joanna Achinger-Kawecka is a Group Leader of the 3D Epigenome in Cancer group at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Conjoint Lecturer at St Vincent's Clinical School, UNSW Sydney. Joanna completed her PhD in 2014 at the University of Tuebingen, Germany supported by prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship, studying epigenetic biomarkers in breast cancer.

Following her PhD, Joanna joined the Epigenetics Research laboratory of...view more

Dr Joanna Achinger-Kawecka is a Group Leader of the 3D Epigenome in Cancer group at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Conjoint Lecturer at St Vincent's Clinical School, UNSW Sydney. Joanna completed her PhD in 2014 at the University of Tuebingen, Germany supported by prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship, studying epigenetic biomarkers in breast cancer.

Following her PhD, Joanna joined the Epigenetics Research laboratory of Prof Susan Clark at the Garvan Institute, where she established cutting-edge experimental and computational approaches to study the 3D genome organization. Dr Achinger-Kawecka has made significant contributions to the field, publishing in high-impact journals such as Nature Communications, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology and Genome Research. She has been awarded competitive research funding from NHMRC, CCNSW and NBCF and established her own research group at the Garvan Institute in 2023.

The main goal of the group’s research is to understand the role of 3D genome architecture in cancer, including its cell-to-cell and temporal variability. For that, they combine and integrate cutting-edge genomics technology, single-cell epigenome profiling, genome editing and pre-clinical models to study the interplay of the 3D genome and epigenome in cancer and how these 3D epigenome changes can be targeted with epigenetic therapy. Beyond fundamental discoveries, their main goal is to uncover new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for the treatment of metastatic disease.


My Grants

 

Title of Project Role in Project Funding Organisation Start Date Duration Total Grant Amount

Assessing the role of the tumour ecosystem in epigenetic therapy response in ER+ endocrine-resistant breast cancer

 

CIA NHMRC Ideas 2024 3 years $1,090,079

Targeting epigenetic hallmarks in neuroendocrine-like prostate cancer

 

PI Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia 2023 2 years $100,000

Targeting enhancers to overcome breast cancer resistance to CDK4/6 inhibition

 

PI UNSW Cancer Research EMCR Seed Grant 2023 1 year $50,000

3D EPIGENOME AS A TARGET FOR EPIGENETIC THERAPIES IN ENDOCRINE-RESISTANT BREAST CANCER

 

PI National Breast Cancer Foundation Investigator Grant (IIRS) 2021 3 years $366,000

Targeting the Three-Dimensional Epigenome in Endocrine Resistant Breast Cancer

 

CIA Cancer Council NSW Project Grant 2020 3 years $434,000

Decoding 3D genome architecture in individual single-cells to establish molecular mechanisms of gene regulation in cancer

 

PI UNSW Cellular Genomics Futures Institute Seed Grant 2020 1 year $99,000

Single-Cell Hi-C: A Novel Tool to Identify Key Epigenetic Drivers of Endocrine Resistant Breast Cancer

 

PI Estee Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Campaign 2019 1 year

$15,000

Genetic perturbations to the 3D genome architecture: Implications for endocrine resistance in breast cancer (Clark S, Achinger-Kawecka J)

Co-I National Breast Cancer Foundation 2017 1 year

$200,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


My Qualifications

PhD in Pharmacogenomics 2014 (University of Tuebingen, Germany)

Masters of Biotechnology 2011 (Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland)

Bachelor of Science 2009 (Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland)


My Awards

2019 - Best Selected Speaker Prize, 2019 Post-Doc Symposium, Garvan Institute

2018 - CASS Foundation Travel Grant

2017 - The Ian Potter Foundation Travel Grant

2016 - Best Postdoc Prize, 24th St Vincent’s Campus Research Symposium

2016 - Heliflite Young Explorer Award

2015 - Best Oral Presentation Prize, 23rd St Vincent’s Campus Research Symposium

2011 – EU FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network “Fighting Drug Failure” Fellowship

 


My Research Supervision


Supervision keywords


Areas of supervision

3D genome organisation, gene regulation, epigenetics, bioinformatics, cancer

Honours and Masters positions available.

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Location

Garvan Institute of Medical Research