RADIATION THERAPY TECHNIQUES AND COMBINATION TREATMENTS FOR SARCOMA
Professor Angela Hong, Director and
co-Chair of Scientific Advisory Committee,
Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA)
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed Sydney, Australia | January 2025
Professor Angela Hong MBBS, MMed, PhD, FRANZCR is a Professor at Sydney Medical School of the University of Sydney. She is a radiation oncologist and has been a member of the Multidisciplinary Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Clinic at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital/Chris O’Brien Lifehouse for the past 15 years.
She is also the Director and co-chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA), a non-profit organisation aimed at enhancing treatment outcomes for sarcoma patients across Australia and New Zealand.
As a radiation oncologist located in Sydney, Australia, Professor Hong is focused on treating patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma. And as a clinician scientist, her research focuses on developing innovative radiation therapy technique and combination treatments to improve the outcome for patients with sarcoma.
After earning her medical degree from the University of Sydney, Angela undertook an 18-month fellowship in the United States to gain additional experience before returning to Sydney to start her formal training in radiation oncology. She later completed her PhD, concentrating on radiosensitivity in skin cancer sarcoma.
Professor Hong believes in a multidisciplinary approach to managing sarcoma, given its rarity and the complexities involved in diagnosis and treatment. She is actively involved in clinical research and recently contributed to an international trial led by Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration (SARC) in the United States and the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA) in Australia. The trial examined the advantages of including immunotherapy in the treatment regimen for high-risk soft tissue sarcoma, resulting in a notable improvement in two-year disease-free survival rates.
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Genetic disease research imitating function and architecture of organs
Professor Wolvetang was among the first to bring the first human embryonic stem cells to Queensland, with his Wolvetang Group at the AIBN now renowned for its work with organoids: growing them, studying them, and using them to try and understand diseases and human development.
Using cutting edge technology, Professor Wolvetang designs and grows organoids both for their own work and for labs across the country, coaxing pluripotent stem cells or tissue samples into 3D structures that mimic the function and architecture of real brains, livers, kidneys, spinal cords, and intestines.
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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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Corneal and Ocular Surface Immunology and Regeneration
Assoc Professor Holly Chinnery’s career in ocular immunology began with a focus on animal models; however, it has recently transitioned into clinical imaging studies involving human research participants. The ability to visualise the immune system and sensory nerves in the human cornea represents a significant advantage in corneal immunology and neuroimmunology research.
