IDENTIFICATION & CHARACTERISATION OF MOLECULAR DRIVERS OF THERAPEUTIC RESISTANCE
With
Professor Pieter Eichhorn
Group Leader, Curtin Medical Research Institute &
Dean of Research Infrastructure & Professor at Curtin University
Western Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | February 2026
Professor Pieter Eichhorn is an internationally experienced cancer biologist and research leader whose career has been defined by high-impact contributions at the interface of functional genomics, translational oncology, and research infrastructure strategy.
He completed his PhD at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, contributing to the cloning of the gene associated with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, before undertaking postdoctoral training at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in the laboratory of René Bernards. There, he performed pioneering functional genetic screens that identified key regulators of oncogenesis and therapy resistance, including critical roles for the PI3K signalling pathway in resistance to targeted breast cancer therapies.
He subsequently worked Dr. Jose Baselga at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology and Harvard Medical School contributing to studies on signalling networks, resistance mechanisms, and ubiquitin pathway regulation in cancer.
A major career highlight has been the identification and characterisation of molecular drivers of therapeutic resistance, including work on PI3K pathway biology and ubiquitin-regulated oncogenic signalling, published in high-impact journals and informing biomarker-driven therapeutic strategies.
At Curtin University, he has established and led a multidisciplinary translational research program focused on deubiquitinases, epithelial plasticity, and non-coding RNA biology in breast and melanoma. In parallel, he has provided strategic leadership as Dean of Research Infrastructure, overseeing major national and institutional infrastructure investments, NCRIS-aligned initiatives, and large-scale collaborative platforms that enhance research capability and clinical translation.
COLLABORATIONS
National University of Singapore, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Peter Mac, Vall d’Hebron, Helmholtz Munich, University of Manchester,
FUNDING
World Cancer Research Fund, Cancer Council Wa, Australia Center for RNA Therapy in Cancer
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5840-943X
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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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Junior Fellowship to develop vaccine for bacteria that cause ear infections
Dr Erin Brazel has a background in molecular and translational microbiology, with a focus on developing new ways of preventing and treating bacterial diseases. Recently Dr Brazel has been awarded a Junior Fellowship by the Passe & Williams Memorial Foundation.
The fellowship enables outstanding individuals to obtain postdoctoral training under the supervision of an experienced clinical or scientific researcher, with the view to establishing a research career in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery in Australia and/or New Zealand.
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Personalised approaches to lung therapy
Dr. Adams’ research focus is on lung cancer, which is the deadliest of all cancers worldwide. He is working towards developing personalised approaches to pinpoint a therapy that is going to be most effective for the person with that disease. Dr. Adams’ research is focusing on chemotherapy and targeted therapy, and he is trying to identify upfront which of those tumours are likely to be resistant to the therapy. He then identifies strategies that will resensitize or increase the sensitivity of the tumour to the standard of care that is targeted therapy or chemotherapy.
