Professor Greg Goodall
We have discovered that the miR-200 family of microRNAs controls epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is considered to be a key step in cancer metastasis, which is the major cause of death from cancer. We have found that these microRNAs have to be turned off to allow cancer cells to become invasive and that if we enforce expression of the microRNAs, we can block the EMT process and even convert the migratory cells back to non-migratory, ‘epithelial’ cells. In ongoing work we are examining the mechanisms that control production and loss of the microRNAs; identifying the gene targets of the microRNAs; examining human tumours for involvement of the microRNAs in invasion and metastasis and using in vitro and in vivo models to identify the pathways through which they operate. We are also using next generation sequencing and bioinformatics to understand cancer pathways controlled by microRNAs.
To support research in the Gene Regulation Laboratory at the Hanson Institute, please contact the Royal Adelaide Hospital Research Fund.