LIVER CANCER BIOMARKERS, RISK PREDICTION & PROGRESSION
With
Dr Rodrigo Carlessi
Senior Research Fellow & Lead of Cancer Genomics Group,
Curtin Medical Research Institute,
Curtin University,
Perth, Western Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Australia | August 2025
Dr. Rodrigo Carlessi is an expert in Cancer Genomics and Molecular Biology, with an extensive track record in liver cancer research. He leads the Cancer Genomics Group within the Liver Disease and Regeneration Laboratory at the Curtin Medical Research Institute. He has an impressive publication record, with 43 manuscripts that have collectively garnered over 2,680 citations. His research leverages cutting-edge genomics and transcriptomics technologies, as well as long-read DNA sequencing, to explore mechanisms, identify biomarkers, and develop therapeutic targets in liver disease and cancer.
Dr Carlessi graduated from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil, with a B.Sc. in Cellular and Molecular Biology in 2007, then joined the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, where he obtained a M.Sc. from the Department of Molecular Genetics in 2011. He further obtained a PhD in Molecular Endocrinology from UFRGS in 2016, prior to joining Curtin University in Western Australia as a postdoc in 2016. He undertook postdoctoral training in pancreatic beta cell biology and received awards from the Australian Diabetes Society and the Heart Foundation. In 2019 he was recruited to start and lead the Cancer Genomics group in the Liver Disease & Regeneration Laboratory. With nine years of postdoctoral experience, Dr Carlessi has held a prestigious Cancer Council of Western Australia Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from 2021 to 2024.
His recent work led to a groundbreaking discovery in liver cancer risk prediction, earning him national and international recognition, following publications in top tier journals including Cell Genomics, Science Advances and Nature between 2023-2025. This achievement has been highlighted by invitations to present at prominent events, including Oz Single Cell, the Australian Liver Cancer Experts Gallipoli Meeting, WYMM Melbourne 2025, the First International Conference of Liver Pathobiology: From Bench to Bedside in Crete (2023), and the Thomas Ashworth Symposium 2025. His work has also catalysed collaborations with prestigious global institutions, such as The University of Edinburgh, the University of California San Diego, Monash University, and the University of New South Wales.
Currently, Dr. Carlessi focuses on discovering novel biomarkers and developing innovative approaches to assess risk and monitor disease progression in liver cancer patients. Additionally, he is pioneering RNA therapy technologies to target oncogenic pathways, paving the way for the next generation of liver cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0038-7391
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Interventions for improving outcomes of children who are deaf or hard of hearing
Professor Teresa Ching is a Conjoint Professor at NextSense Institute and Macquarie University, and an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland in Australia. Her current research focuses on devising culturally sensitive practices in early detection and intervention to maximise children’s outcomes. Working with international colleagues, her current research is also directed towards developing global guidelines and recommendations for hearing screening beyond the newborn period, so that all children can benefit from early detection and intervention. The ultimate goal is to attain equity of care and outcomes for all children with hearing difficulties.
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Mental health research on first responders in regional, rural and remote Australia
Dr Rikki Jones has been awarded to date a total of over $430,000 in research funding. She is currently leading four large national research teams focusing on rural health and sustainable rural health workforce (include mental health of first responders, sexual violence in rural Australia, virtual simulated nursing placements, and nursing students experience with online learning, connection and transitioning to practice).
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Stem cell therapies for enteric neuropathies
Dr Stamp is a Group Leader in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Dr Stamp’s PhD research (with Prof Martin Pera, Monash University) focused on the derivation of hepatopancreatic progenitors from human embryonic stem cells. He then joined the lab of Dr Don Newgreen at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute where he began working on development of the enteric nervous system (ENS), before joining Prof Heather Young’s lab at the University of Melbourne, where he focused on developing a stem cell therapy to treat gut motility disorders such as the paediatric enteric neuropathy Hirschprung disease.
