The Cancer Diagnosis and Pathology Group is a translational cancer research team based at the Kolling Institute. Our research focuses on identifying and validating cancer biomarkers from tissue and blood samples to improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, and patient care. Working closely with oncologists, surgeons, and other clinical specialists, we combine advanced diagnostic technologies with innovative research approaches to better understand cancer and translate discoveries into real-world healthcare solutions.
Our mission is to accelerate the translation of research findings from the laboratory to the clinic, improving outcomes for people affected by cancer.
Team Lead
Team Members
This five-year translational research program aims to integrate liquid biopsy testing into routine cancer care across NSW. By analysing circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) from a simple blood sample, liquid biopsies provide a less invasive alternative to traditional tissue biopsies and can support earlier cancer detection, treatment selection, and disease monitoring.
Led by a multidisciplinary collaboration of clinicians, pathologists, and researchers from leading health and research institutions across NSW, the program seeks to make advanced liquid biopsy testing accessible to all cancer patients, including those in rural and remote communities. Our goal is to improve access to precision cancer diagnostics, enable more personalised care, and ultimately achieve better patient outcomes.
We develop and maintain a comprehensive FFPE tumour biobank, including the construction of tissue microarrays, linked to over 20 years of longitudinal clinical follow-up data. This unique, living resource supports cancer research across a broad spectrum of tumour types, enabling the translation of scientific discoveries into routine clinical practice. In addition, histological slides from FFPE tissue blocks are digitised through whole-slide imaging, facilitating advanced image analysis and further research.
The Pancreatic Biobank located at Kolling is accessed for further research on pancreatic cancer using molecular testing, studying the tumour and stroma in the laboratory and growing the cancer cells in the laboratory.
- The liquid biopsy program brings together the Cancer Diagnosis and Pathology Group and a multidisciplinary network of domestic and international collaborators, including pathologists, oncologists, surgeons, physicians, and researchers from the University of Sydney, the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF), and NSW Health Pathology (NSWHP) Kolling Institute, Northern Sydney Local Health District, the NorthStar Van Norton Poche Centre and the Artificial Intelligence for Precision Medicine (AIPM) Research Team at Macquarie University.
- We have a longstanding collaboration The Australian Pancreatic Genome Initiative and Garvan Institute, conducting clinical research into pancreatic cancer, with a current focus on molecular profiling and increased understanding of the tumour and its microenvironment for translation of scientific discoveries to improve outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients.
- The FFPE Tumour Bank continues to support a wide range of collaborative research projects involving investigators from the University of Sydney, Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD), NSW Health Pathology, Macquarie University, and other national and international partners.
