Elaine Sanij

I am an experienced cancer biologist, a Laboratory Head at St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research and a Victorian Cancer Agency Mid-Career Research Fellow (2020-2024). I use my expertise in chromatin biology and DNA damage response to understand the mechanisms behind genome instability in cancer and identify novel therapeutic approaches in relapsed ovarian cancer. My studies focus on understanding the mechanisms of DNA repair and DNA damage response at the RNA Polymerase I (Pol I) genes (the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes), the largest clustered gene arrangement in the human genome, and deciphering the strong interplay between rRNA genes instability and genome-wide instability. I also investigate the mechanisms underlying rewiring of the DNA damage response in chemo-resistant ovarian cancer to identify novel therapeutic targets in chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer. I lead a group within an inspiring and interactive collaborative program of scientists and clinicians at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, with track records of successful collaborative research that established targeting Pol I transcription as a new treatment paradigm in cancer therapy. In 2018, I received the prestigious Highly Commended Peter Mac Lea Medal, which recognises outstanding emerging female research leaders and was the inaugural participant in a cancer research exchange program between the Peter Mac and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston to establish collaborations in novel DNA repair therapies to advance our expertise in the DNA repair field.