IDENTIFICATION & CHARACTERISATION OF MOLECULAR DRIVERS OF THERAPEUTIC RESISTANCE
With
Professor Pieter Eichhorn
Group Leader, Curtin Medical Research Institute &
Dean of Research Infrastructure & Professor at Curtin University
Western Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | February 2026
Professor Pieter Eichhorn is an internationally experienced cancer biologist and research leader whose career has been defined by high-impact contributions at the interface of functional genomics, translational oncology, and research infrastructure strategy.
He completed his PhD at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, contributing to the cloning of the gene associated with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, before undertaking postdoctoral training at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in the laboratory of René Bernards. There, he performed pioneering functional genetic screens that identified key regulators of oncogenesis and therapy resistance, including critical roles for the PI3K signalling pathway in resistance to targeted breast cancer therapies.
He subsequently worked Dr. Jose Baselga at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology and Harvard Medical School contributing to studies on signalling networks, resistance mechanisms, and ubiquitin pathway regulation in cancer.
A major career highlight has been the identification and characterisation of molecular drivers of therapeutic resistance, including work on PI3K pathway biology and ubiquitin-regulated oncogenic signalling, published in high-impact journals and informing biomarker-driven therapeutic strategies.
At Curtin University, he has established and led a multidisciplinary translational research program focused on deubiquitinases, epithelial plasticity, and non-coding RNA biology in breast and melanoma. In parallel, he has provided strategic leadership as Dean of Research Infrastructure, overseeing major national and institutional infrastructure investments, NCRIS-aligned initiatives, and large-scale collaborative platforms that enhance research capability and clinical translation.
COLLABORATIONS
National University of Singapore, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Peter Mac, Vall d’Hebron, Helmholtz Munich, University of Manchester,
FUNDING
World Cancer Research Fund, Cancer Council Wa, Australia Center for RNA Therapy in Cancer
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5840-943X
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Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine
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Targeting chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer patients
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Podiatric Research In Children, the workforce and the LGBTQIA+ community
Professor Williams holds the role of Deputy Head of School, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, and course coordinator of the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree. She is a podiatrist, and has held professional roles in community health, acute and subacute services in child health care teams, research leadership and professional governance.
