IDENTIFICATION, CHARACTERISATION AND ROLE OF LEADER CELLS IN OVARIAN CANCER PROGRESSION
Dr Maree Bilandzic, Research Group Head
Metastasis Biology & Therapeutics Laboratory
Hudson Institute of Medical Research,
Clayton, Victoria, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Clayton, Victoria, Australia | December 2024
Dr. Maree Bilandzic is a molecular cancer biologist dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of ovarian cancer (OC). Her research addresses critical gaps in OC treatment by investigating the mechanisms behind metastasis, chemotherapy resistance, and tumour recurrence. By utilising innovative methodologies and disease-representative models, Dr. Bilandzic has pioneered the identification and characterisation of leader cells (LCs)—a unique, stem-like subpopulation within tumours that plays a crucial role in OC progression.
LCs facilitate “collective invasion,” enabling tumour cells to spread by interacting with their environment and influencing immune responses. Importantly, Dr. Bilandzic’s research demonstrated that these LCs are resistant to standard therapies and become more prevalent following treatment. Despite their significance, there are currently no targeted therapies for LCs, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies.
Her work focuses on meeting the unmet clinical needs of patients with metastatic and therapy-resistant OC. By disrupting LCs, Dr. Bilandzic’s team has shown enhanced chemosensitivity, limited tumor spread, and altered immune responses—demonstrating the therapeutic potential of targeting LCs.
She has over $3.5 million in commercial funding and additional support exceeding $2 million from organisations such as the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, CASS Foundation, Fielding Foundation, Equity Trustees and Perpetual Impact grants. Dr. Bilandzic is well-positioned to expand her research into other epithelial cancers, aiming to develop effective treatments that can significantly improve patient outcomes across multiple cancer types. Key areas of focus include understanding LC roles in immune modulation, invasion, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance.
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Paramedics in the Community
Dr Brendan Shannon is a registered paramedic and Head of Postgraduate Programs and Deputy Head of Department of Paramedicine at Monash University.
Brendan has a keen research interest in alternative care pathways, non-transport, referral services, paramedic practitioners and community paramedicine. His Doctoral research focused on investigating the experiences of health services when implementing alternative care pathways.
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Integrated Oral Health Care
Dr Ajesh George is a Professor of Interprofessional Oral Health in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University (WSU) and Honorary Professor in the School of Dentistry at The University of Sydney. He is a dentist with extensive experience in integrated oral health care and is a renowned expert globally in providing oral health training to non-dental professionals and translating oral health guidelines into their practice. Dr George is also the Director and Co-founder of the “Australian Centre for Integration of Oral Health” (ACIOH) which is a leading national research centre led by WSU in collaboration with various partners including universities, health services and professional organisations.
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Behavioural science in cancer screening, control and communication
Dr Dodd has an established international reputation as a behavioural scientist in cancer control and communication. Since completing her PhD in 2016, Dr Dodd has been awarded a three-year University of Sydney Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2018-2021) and a three-year Research Fellowship at The Daffodil Centre (current). Dr Dodd is the co-chair of the ‘Strengthening and optimising approaches to cancer prevention, screening, and early detection’ hub at The Daffodil Centre (with more than 130 staff and students).
