Funded projects

Identifying the molecular mechanisms that regulate circulating melanoma cell migration across the human brain endothelial barrier

Aotearoa has the highest global incidence of melanoma. When melanoma spreads to the brain, it is usually fatal. Unfortunately, treatments that are effective for melanoma in other parts of the body often fail against brain metastases. This highlights the urgent need for new strategies, particularly those that prevent melanoma from reaching the brain in the first place.

To metastasise to the brain, melanoma cells leave the skin, travel through the bloodstream, and migrate across the blood vessel walls in the brain. To protect the brain, it’s usually difficult for cells to complete this last step. However, some melanoma cells are able to enter the brain, though the mechanisms enabling this remain poorly understood.

We have developed a novel human cell model that mimics blood flow through the brain’s blood vessels. By introducing melanoma cells into this model, we can study how  they move across brain blood vessel walls under realistic conditions.

This research aims to discover the processes that allow melanoma cells to enter the brain. The findings could reveal new ways to block this devastating metastatic step, ultimately improving hauora (health outcomes) for New Zealanders affected by melanoma and potentially other cancers that spread to the brain.
 

RadiATE: Radiopharmaceutical Accelerator for Translational Exploration

Targeted radionuclide therapy is a new, personalised approach to cancer treatment where individual patients have their cancer cells targeted for destruction by radiation while sparing healthy cells. This treatment approach is expected to become a platform technology which could expand to treat a broad range of cancers. To help New Zealand patients and researchers access this new wave of cancer treatments we will establish RadiATE: the Radiopharmaceutical Accelerator for Translational Exploration. This will bring together preclinical researchers from the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, nuclear medicine oncologists and radiopharmaceutical specialists from Allevia Radiology, and clinical oncologists involved in the referral of patients for targeted radionuclide therapy across New Zealand to create a national resource for preclinical research into targeted radionuclide therapy.

Liver-targeted mRNA vaccine approach to improve immunotherapy outcomes in liver cancer

Liver cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), are some of the least survivable cancers in Aotearoa New Zealand, with disproportionately poor outcomes for Māori. There are also few effective treatment options compared to other cancers. While recently approved immunotherapies for HCC offer hope, only about one in three patients respond. To tackle this, we aim to use novel RNA technology to create vaccines that enhance the immune responses unleashed by current immunotherapies, with the aim of specifically directing immune cells into the liver where they can destroy cancer cells. One major challenge is that the underlying genetic mutations that cause HCC vary greatly between individuals, meaning a ‘one size fits all’ approach to treatment often does not work. We will therefore assess the effectiveness of the vaccines in different animal models that recreate genetic mutations commonly seen in patients, with the aim of determining which HCC subtypes are most likely to benefit from a vaccine in the clinic.

This project builds on national investment in RNA technology, including expertise in vaccine manufacturing, and will benefit from increasing linkages with potential commercial partners. By focusing on liver cancer, we hope to address health inequities, particularly for Māori, by improving long-term treatment outcomes.

Visualising paediatric radiotherapy: co-designing and testing an intervention to support rangatahi and whānau. 

Each year in Aotearoa, around 150 tamariki are diagnosed with cancer - a life-changing experience for them and their whānau. During treatment, families receive complex medical information, including about radiotherapy, which can be difficult to understand and emotionally overwhelming. Whānau have told us they need better support to understand what radiotherapy involves and what to expect. This research project will develop and test a new visualisation intervention (animation) designed to explain radiotherapy in a clear and engaging way. The goal is to reduce anxiety and improve understanding for rangatahi and their whānau.

In the first phase, we will co-design the intervention with rangatahi who have experienced radiotherapy, their whānau, and healthcare professionals. In the second phase, we will test how well the animation works when delivered in routine care at Starship Hospital, including how easily it can be used by healthcare professionals and whether it helps families feel more informed and less worried.

The study findings will guide improvements to the animation and its delivery, preparing it for a future national study. Ultimately, we aim to make this new intervention a standard part of childhood cancer care across Aotearoa.

Cancer metastasis to the brain: Investigating melanoma and their large vesicular bodies that disrupt the brain-endothelial barrier

Brain cancers are the most aggressive type of cancer with devastating prognoses. Most brain cancers are formed by cancers that develop outside of the brain, which gain the ability to enter the blood and travel to all parts of the body. Lung, breast and skin (melanoma) cancer are key examples of cancer types that migrate or 'metastasize' preferentially to the brain. To do this, cancer cells must interact with the protective blood-brain barrier (BBB), comprising cells that defend the brain against blood-borne pathogens. I will investigate if this interaction between cancer cells and the protective BBB, is influenced by vesicular biomaterials secreted by cancer cells. The goal is to identify and block this mechanism to prevent cancer cells from entering the brain in the first place. Once in the brain, cancer is considerably more difficult to treat. Therefore, I aim to discover components that allow cancer cells to migrate into the brain, thereby advancing research towards therapy for brain metastasis.

Hitting PHD2 in hard-to-treat melanoma: A targeted degradation strategy

Malignant melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer, and New Zealand has one of the highest incidence rates in the world. While new treatments, including targeted therapies and immunotherapy, have improved outcomes for some patients, many still face limited options—especially when the disease becomes therapy resistant. This research aims to develop a new kind of treatment that targets a specific protein called PHD2 (prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein 2), which we have identified as a key vulnerability in melanoma. Blocking PHD2 can slow cancer growth, but existing drugs have limited effects because they stimulate the melanoma cells to produce more PHD2. To overcome this, our research team is using an emerging technology called proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs)—molecules designed to selectively recruit PHD2 to the cell’s protein degrading machinery for destruction. By removing PHD2 entirely, this approach is hypothesised to be an effective way to kill melanoma cells, including those that are resistant to existing therapies. If proven, it may also be effective in other cancers that depend on PHD2, such as clear cell ovarian cancer and some central nervous system cancers. In parallel, the project aims to develop a new platform to accelerate the discovery of future protein-degrading drugs.

World Indigenous Cancer Conference (W.I.C.C) 2026   

Confirming the therapeutic potential of placental extracellular vesicles in ovarian cancer using patient-derived organoids

Ovarian cancer is often not found until an advanced stage, resulting in a low survival rate for many affected people. Wāhine Māori and Pacific women are particularly affected by ovarian cancer. It is essential that we identify new ways to treat this too-often fatal disease. Immunotherapy is currently one of the strategies used to treat advanced-stage cancer by enhancing the body’s immune response against cancer. We have discovered compelling evidence showing that placental extracellular vesicles, tiny packages made by the placenta, kill ovarian cancer cells. Due to the limitations of traditional cancer cell lines, we cannot be certain that placenta EVs would have similar anticancer effects in people with ovarian cancer.  Our overarching goal is to improve the survival rate for affected people by developing a new therapeutic that can be used to treat advanced-stage ovarian cancer. Our work will benefit people who have ovarian cancer and their families/ whānau, as well as reducing the immense social and financial costs of this disease on families and society.

Travel funding to support me going overseas to join Professor Anna DeFazio's research placement.

MicroRNA Profiling and Genotypic Analysis of Low Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma 

Travel to Vienna, Austria and support for lab visits in France and the UK.

European Lab Visits and Conference (ISEV2025) attendance

Travel Support for NZ ASI Annual Meeting

Support for attending overseas conference for the 1st time: the Chromosomal Instability as a Driver of Human Disease Conference

Travel Grant Application – European Association for Cancer Research 2025