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Pfizer Australia Research Fellowships
Investing in innovation
“Having a Pfizer Fellowship enabled me to ramp up my
research activities and move toward riskier programs with
the potential for higher returns.”
Associate Professor Ricky Johnstone
Pfizer Australia Research Fellow, 2005-9
Cancer is a leading
cause of death in Australia.
Assoc Prof Johnstone’s
research ultimately aims to
inform the design of new
chemotherapeutic drugs
and allow their use to be
tailored to the individual
patient.
Assoc Prof Johnstone is a cancer researcher who is interested in
determining the molecular events underpinning cancer cell death initiated
by chemotherapeutic-drugs and deciphering how tumours become
multidrug resistant. Assoc Prof Johnstone’s research focuses on inhibitors of
the enzyme histone deacetylase (HDACi) – novel chemotherapeutic drugs
that regulate gene transcription by altering the structure of chromatin. He
has contributed significantly to the understanding of structurally diverse
HDACi and his clinical colleagues at the Peter Mac have recently initiated
clinical trials of two HDACi in the treatment of T cell lymphoma.
Assoc Prof Johnstone uses genetically manipulated mouse tumour models
to identify which apoptotic proteins and pathways are necessary for the
therapeutic effects of HDACi, either alone or in combination with other novel
small molecule chemotherapeutics. Using microarray gene expression
profiling, Prof Johnstone has identified genes involved in apoptosis that are
regulated differently in tumours and normal cells, providing a molecular
basis for the selective effect of HDACi on tumour tissue. It is hoped that
Assoc Prof Johnstone’s research will ultimately inform the design of new
chemotherapeutic drugs and their use in personalised medicine.
The Pfizer Australia Research Fellowship allowed Assoc Prof Johnstone
to extend his program to include preclinical studies on mouse models of
human cancers that take many months to complete, but are essential in
his approach toward clinical trials. He explains,
“Five-year fellowships are rarely granted in Australia, and it is even more
unusual for the fellowship to cover not only the researcher’s salary and
infrastructure support, but also the salary of a research assistant.”
Mice injected with lymphomas
were treated with HDACi before
measurement of fluorodeoxglucose
(FDG) uptake by PET imaging. The
circled areas indicate the decrease
in FDG signal after HDACi treatment.
Each year Pfizer awards more than AU$3 million in research grants
and fellowships to basic biomedical scientists and early stage clinical
researchers. The funding aims to encourage leaders in biomedical research
to establish careers in Australia, fostering the continued development of
Australia as a world-class source of innovation and ideas.
Pfizer Australia Research Fellowships
Investing in innovation
Assoc Prof Ricky Johnstone – career highlights
Pfizer Australia
Research Fellowships
at a glance
• Aim to support the
development of the
Australian scientific
community
• Awarded annually to
outstanding biomedical
scientists with the
potential to become
global leaders in their
field of research
• Allow the successful
applicant to continue
their research at an
Australian university or
institution, by providing
a five-year grant of
AU$1 million covering
salary, travel and other
establishment costs
For further information visit
www.research.pfizer.com.au
or email
Assoc Prof Johnstone gained his PhD from the University of Melbourne in
1993 and was awarded a prestigious CJ Martin Postdoctoral Scholarship
from the National Health and Medical Research Council that allowed him
to continue training at Harvard University in Boston, USA. On returning to
Australia in 1996, Assoc Prof Johnstone teamed up with Drs Joe Trapani
and Mark Smyth at the Austin Research Institute (now the Burnet Institute)
before joining the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in 2000. He is now
the Head of Peter Mac’s Gene Regulation Laboratory and a principal
fellow of the Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne. He is
also a key member of the Translational Oncology Research Collaborative
Hub (TORCH) to which Pfizer has contributed AU$15 million in support
of research in molecular imaging, cancer genomics and early stage
clinical trials.
Since 2005, Assoc Prof Johnstone has leveraged the outcomes of his
fellowship-related research, being named as chief or co-chief investigator
on grants totalling more than AU$17 million. He has published more
than 30 research papers and supervised five PhD students and three
Honours students. He is also consistently invited to speak at national and
international conferences.
Assoc Prof Johnstone enjoyed complete academic freedom in his research
program funded by the Pfizer Australia Research Fellowship program. He
notes that,
“The Fellowship gave me the autonomy I needed to extend the size and
scope of my research.”
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
•
The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre is Australia’s only public
hospital solely dedicated to cancer and one of an elite group
of hospitals world-wide to have its own integrated cancer
research program and laboratories
• Collaborating with Peter Mac through the Research Fellowship
program is an important part of Pfizer Australia’s commitment in
contributing to Australia’s exceptional research capabilities
• For further information regarding Peter Mac visit www.petermac.org
[email protected]
Pfizer Australia Pty Limited. ABN 50 008 422 348. 38-42 Wharf Road, West Ryde NSW 2114 Australia. T 02 9850 3333