Translational Research Symposium Speaker Spotlight: Professor Gail Risbridger

Professor Gail Risbridger

Monash University's 5th annual Translational Research Symposium is being hosted by its three metropolitan clinical schools on 21 June 2019. The symposium will host a diverse group of medical researchers presenting their work into translational research. RSVP here.

The Plenary speaker for the event is Professor Gail Risbridger, Deputy Dean, Special Projects, Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium and Research Director, Prostate Cancer Research Program.

Prof Risbridger is an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow. She holds a PhD & has >30 years’ experience as one of Australia's leading authorities in prostate cancer and Men’s Health. She leads Prostate Cancer Research at Monash University and at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) where her team is an internationally recognised research team of scientists and clinicians working on prostate cancer and Andrology related projects.

Her laboratories are internationally renowned for a significant body of work on stromal-epithelial cell signalling mechanisms in development and disease. This expertise in stromal-epithelial cell interactions is the foundation of her successful development of a world class program of patient-derived xenografts PDX for preclinical investigation using patient specimens.

Her laboratories represent a commitment to leading & exemplifying excellence in research with a record of world class achievements in research, research translation, expertise, vision, supervision & mentoring. She has >238 publications that have made significant and highly original contributions of major importance, influence, and of significant benefit to health and medical research.

Professor Risbridger's presentation abstract can be found below:
-----------------------------
Prostate Cancer in BRCA mutation carriers: A small cohort study with large impact.

Not all prostatic tumorus are the same and a key challenge in the management of localized prostate cancer is the identification of men with a high likelihood of progression to an advanced, incurable stage. Patients who harbour germline BRCA2 mutations have worse clinical outcomes than non-carriers when treated with surgery or radiotherapy. Insights from different disciplines have improved our understanding of why patients with BRCA2-mutant tumours have a high likelihood of failing conventional management after diagnosis.This lecture will show how research discoveries using patient tumours led the way to defining aggressive features of tumors in both BRCA mutation carriers and subsequently in men with high risk sporadic prostate cancer. Altogether, the genomics, pathology and cancer biology of the tumors predict failure to respond to current therapies, and has impacted on the reporting and clinical management and of men who have high risk familial and sporadic prostate cancer.
-----------------------------
We look forward to welcoming Professor Risbridger for the Symposium!

More information:
Translational Research Symposium

• Date: Friday 21 June 2019
• Time: 8:30 for 9:00am start - 5:30pm close
• RSVP here

Find out more about the symposium and our speaker program.

If you are a graduate student or early career researcher, you may be interested in the Young Investigator poster competition. See here for more details and to RSVP. Deadline for submissions has been extended to Friday 7 June!