RESEARCHER PROFILE
Dr Alex Cole (Filmed May 2024)
Research Officer
Centre for Biomedical AI,
Centenary Institute,
Sydney, Australia
Ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest cancers affecting women worldwide, is a challenging disease to treat. High rates of chemotherapy resistance hinder treatment success and patient survival.
Dr Alex Cole, from the Centenary Institute’s Centre for Biomedical AI, is now leading the research focused on developing a new treatment to counteract a protein called follistatin (FST), known for making ovarian cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy.
By employing cutting-edge molecular biology and directed evolution techniques, the project aims to create nanobodies—small, precise molecules—that can block FST. If successful, these nanobodies could enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy and improve ovarian cancer treatment rates.
“We know that chemotherapy triggers increased FST production in the body, which aids cancer cells in resisting treatment,” said Dr Cole.
“Our nanobodies, derived from antibodies and engineered to target and neutralise FST, could potentially make cancer cells vulnerable to chemotherapy again.”
Dr Cole emphasised the critical importance of developing innovative therapies like FST nanobody therapy to improve patient outcomes.
“Chemotherapy is initially highly effective in treating ovarian cancer in women. However, in over 70% of cases the cancer will reoccur, often having developed resistance to chemotherapy, rendering it ineffective,” he said.
The grant, received through Cancer Australia’s Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme (PdCCRS) is co-funded by Cancer Australia and the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation
Dr Cole received his PhD from the University of Sydney in 2017 (Kolling Institute) where he studied the role of epigenetic histone modifications on ovarian cancer. Alex continued his ovarian cancer research investigating the role of quiescence on cancer stem cells during Postdocs at the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh. During this time, he received the Ann and Sol Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award from the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance, which led to the discovery that follistatin is secreted in response to chemotherapy where it actively promotes chemoresistance.
In 2020, he joined the Directed Evolution Lab at the Centenary Institute under Associate Professor Daniel Hesselson, where he worked to develop the novel viral directed evolution platform PROTEUS (Protein Evolution Using Selection). In 2023, Alex received a Tour de Cure grant which allowed for the validation of PROTEUS for nanobody evolution.
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Treatment pathways for chronic plantar heel pain
Jason Rogers is a Tasmanian physiotherapist clinician-researcher with a longstanding interest in improving musculoskeletal foot and ankle conditions. He completed his PhD at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania in 2022 investigating the clinical and imaging factors associated with a common foot complaint known as chronic plantar heel pain.
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Elite athlete physical and mental health impact performance
Understanding the interaction between genes and lifestyle factors in response to stress can lead to potential therapeutic interventions for stress-related disorders. This research is crucial for promoting health and well-being.
Professor Mehta has recently commenced research into elite athlete physical and mental health impact performance, with research at the intersection of statistics, genomics, and mental health. This research is ahead of, and in anticipation of, the Summer Olympics in Brisbane in 2032.
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Exercise program for the prevention of osteoporotic fracture
Dr Beck is an international leader in the effects of mechanical loading on bone health. Dr Beck graduated from The University of Queensland (BHMS[Ed]) and the University of Oregon (MSc and PhD) and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Stanford University School of Medicine (California, USA.) She is a Professor of Exercise Science at Griffith University Gold Coast campus, where she has led the Bone Densitometry Research Laboratory since 2004.
