Bowel Cancer and Biomarker Research Lab
Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the second most common cancer in Australian men and women. It affects 1 in 13 people. It is also Australia’s second deadliest cancer, with over 5,000 people dying each year. Early detection through screening can improve survival rates, however further research is needed to help find cures and prevent the disease.
The Bowel Cancer and Biomarker Laboratory at the Kolling Institute uses advanced technologies to study the genes and proteins responsible for bowel cancers growing and spreading. Our aim is to use a patient’s own molecular information to understand the risk of bowel cancer developing and to guide treatment options. As part of our research, we are studying how to control bowel polyp growth, which are precursors to cancer. We are doing this through diet and chemotherapy drugs.
Department Head:
Prof Mark P. Molloy, PhD | Lawrence Penn Chair of Bowel Cancer Research
The University of Sydney | Northern Clinical School
Faculty of Medicine and Health
Honorary Professor | Dept. Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University
Secretary | Australasian Proteomics Society
Dr Jun Li PhD
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Dr Pascal Steffen MSc, PhD
The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health Northern Clinical School, Kolling Institute
Position: Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellow
Dr Matthew O’Rourke BSc, MSc, PhD
The University of Sydney | Northern Clinical School | Bowel Cancer & Biomarker Lab
Faculty of Medicine and Health
Visiting Scholar University of Technology Sydney
Elected Member NSW Royal Society
Current bowel cancer research focuses on:
- Why and how some bowel polyps become cancers
- Which bowel tumours are likely to spread
- Molecular make-up of colorectal tumours
- Early detection of disease recurrence
Our research is facilitated by specimens from clinical projects we run including:
- Sydney 1000 bowel cancer study
- IMAP Bowel polyp study
Bowel Cancer and Biomarker Research related information
Events, News and Seminars
International focus on our ovarian cancer research
Posted on: 02 March, 2020
In an exciting breakthrough, researchers from the Kolling Institute’s Bill Walsh Lab have identified..... Read more
Category: Research Excellence
Home grown ideas place physio in patients' hands
Posted on: 24 February, 2020
New research is testing a new way to meet the rapidly growing demand for physiotherapy in our publi..... Read more
Category: New Treatment
Common medication may lower risk of “heartbreak”
Posted on: 14 February, 2020
RNSH cardiologist Professor Geoffrey Tofler has led a world-first study which found that common med..... Read more
Category: Research Excellence