TYROSINE KINASES IN CANCER RECURRENCE
With
Dr Yu Yu
Program Lead, Curtin Medical Research Institute &
Senior Research Fellow, Curtin Medical School,
Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Australia | July 2025
Dr Yu Yu completed her PhD at Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney in experimental therapeutics for cancer. She then pursued postdoctoral training at the Richard W. TeLinde Gynecologic Pathology Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA with a focus on understanding the treatment for recurrent ovarian tumour.
Dr Yu Yu leads the Oncology and Gynaecology Research Program at Curtin Medical Research Institute . Dr Yu is also a senior research fellow at Curtin Medical School.
Dr Yu Yu has a strong expertise in developing molecular and cellular therapeutics for cancer. She is a former NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow and Raine/Robson Fellow. Her studies focused on recurrent cancers, with interests in biomarker and therapeutics development.
Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest gynaecologic cancers. There are ~300,000 new cases of ovarian cancer worldwide each year. Less than half of women diagnosed survive 5-years after diagnosis. Platinum-based chemotherapy is used to treat ovarian cancers and a variety of other solid cancers. The National Cancer Institute reports 20% of cancer patients worldwide (3.6 million people) receive a platinum-based drug as part of treatment. However, ~20-50% do not respond because of intrinsic resistance. Currently, there is no way to predict response prior to starting platinum chemotherapy.
Dr Yu Yu’s laboratory is working on better ways to treat cancers, particularly ovarian cancers which are resistant to conventional chemotherapy. The aims are for better informed treatment choice and reducing unnecessary exposure to ineffective chemotherapy and its potential adverse effects.
Collaboration partners include St John of God Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital, both in Western Australia. Funding for Dr Yu Yu’s research comes from WA Department of Health’s Future Health and Innovation Research Fund, Raine Medical Research Foundation and Endometriosis Foundation of America.
Source: Supplied and adapted
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0209-0586
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Healthcare associated infection prevention
Professor Philip Russo is an internationally regarded expert in healthcare associated infection prevention, and led the recently completed the Australian National Healthcare Associated Infection Point Prevalence Survey, the first in Australia for 34 years. He is also Past President of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC), the peak body for Infection Prevention and Control professionals in the Australasian region.
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CASE STUDY Link between levels of extracellular vesicles in the blood and tissue damage caused by diseases
A landmark study led by WEHI and La Trobe University has found a potential new diagnostic marker that could be used to better detect the level of tissue damage in our bodies.
This study revealed, for the first time, a link between levels of EVs in the blood and tissue damage caused by diseases such as leukaemia.
Researchers hope to leverage the critical new insight to develop a blood test to monitor cancer patients with tissue damage, which could, in future, enhance treatment strategies for blood cancers and other diseases.
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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.
