Speaker: Prof. Peter A. Lay, University of Sydney Title: Cancer Phenotypes in Tumour Heterogeneity, Drug Efficacy and Drug-Induced Dedifferentiation When and Where: 6 June, Thursday, 1200-1300, MRI

Abstract: Solid cancer tumours are a heterogeneous mixture of cancer cell phenotypes and other cells, which all have a role in the progression of the disease. Cancer cells will change their phenotype in response to environmental factors depending on whether they are mainly involved in tumour growth (proliferation) or cancer invasion and spread (metastases). We will discuss what factors are important in changing phenotype and how cancer cells send and receive message to change cell phenotypes of other cancer cells and non-cancer cells that can lead to tissue wasting. We will discuss the roles of metal based drugs, Pt, Ru, Ga, In, on different cancer phenotypes and potential immunogenic responses, including the ability of certain drugs to convert aggressive metastatic phenotypes to non-aggressive phenotypes through irreversible dedifferentiation prior to exerting a cytotoxic effect, which then has the potential to improve drug treatment. Examples of these effects will be given for triple negative breast cancer cells, ovarian cancer cells and also the potential for biospectroscopies for rapid phenotyping of cancers for personalised treatments.

Short Bio: Prof. Peter A. Lay completed his BSc(Hon1) from the University of Melbourne in 1977 and received his PhD from the Australian National University in 1981. He was a CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellow (1981–1984) at Stanford University and CSIRO, and a QEII Fellow (1984–1985) at Deakin University. He was appointed as a Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry (1985) at the University of Sydney and became a full Professor in 1997 and was twice awarded Australian Research Council Professorial Fellows. He is currently an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University of Sydney and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and the Royal Society of New South Wales. He was awarded the David Craig Medal (Chemistry) of the AAS and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Synchrotron Science (AS) by ANSTO (the operators of the Australian Synchrotron. He was Chair of the Committee for the design and construction of the new MEX (medium-energy XAS) beamlines at the (AS) and has contributed to committees and symposia on the conceptual design and construction of new XAS and XFM beamlines at the CLS, APS and SSRL. His research is in bio-inorganic chemistry, inorganic medicinal chemistry and biomedical applications of vibrational spectroscopy and synchrotron science.

https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/about/our-people/academic-staff/peter-lay.html