The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Associate Professor Andrew Roberts

Details

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Division: Cancer & Haematology

Research Overview

Assoc. Professor Andrew Roberts is an NHMRC Practitioner Fellow at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and a clinical haematologist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. A graduate of University of Queensland, he trained in clinical haematology for three years at Royal Brisbane Hospital and one year at Royal Melbourne Hospital before undertaking PhD studies with Don Metcalf 1993-1996. There he soon learned how little he really understood about haematology. After a post-doc in the Howard Hughes funded laboratory of David Williams, he returned to Melbourne to establish his own laboratory and translational research program. Current major research interests are the molecular regulation of haemopoiesis and the development of new treatments for lymphoma and leukaemia through translational and clinical research. He serves on the Board of the Cancer Council of Victoria and the Australian Governments’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, and was President of Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand 2005 – 07.

Assoc. Professor Robert’s Cancer and Haematology Laboratory has close collaborative and physical ties with the Departments of Clinical Haematology and BMT, and Medical Oncology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he conducts his clinical practice and clinical trial research. Increasingly, he also works closely in translational research with colleagues in the Molecular Genetics of Cancer Division, particularly David Huang. A team approach to facilitate internationally competitive research is fostered and each project is conducted in collaboration with other scientists and/or clinicians.

Research Projects

1. Modulation of apoptosis for therapeutic gain – translational and clinical studies with a new class of drugs – the BH3 mimetics
2. Role of SOCS3 and other SOCS proteins in suppressing inappropriate JAK activation in inflammation and neoplasia – builds on long-standing expertise in SOCS3 biology and clinical trials with Jak2 inhibitors
3. Functional studies of SOCS protein interactions in the regulation of cytokine signaling – ongoing collaboration with Warren Alexander and colleagues to define the regulation of cytokine signaling in blood cells

Major Publications

1. Croker BA, Krebs DL, Zhang J-G, Wormald S, Willson TA, Stanley EG, Robb L, Greenhalgh CJ, Förster I, Clausen BE, Nicola NA, Metcalf D, Roberts AW, Alexander WS.
   SOCS3 negatively regulates interleukin-6 signaling in vivo.
   Nature Immunology 2003; 4:540-545. IF=26.2 (193 citations)
2. Croker BA, Metcalf D, Robb L, Wei W, Mifsud S, DiRago L, Cluse LA, Sutherland KD, Hartley L, Williams E, Zhang J-G, Hilton DJ, Nicola NA, Alexander WS, Roberts AW.
   SOCS3 is a critical physiological negative regulator of G-CSF signaling and emergency granulopoiesis.
   Immunity 2004; 20:153-165. IF=18.3 (65 citations)
3. Lawlor KE, Campbell IK, Metcalf D, O’Donnell K, van Nieuwenhuijze A, Roberts AW, Wicks IP.
   Critical role for granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in inflammatory arthritis.
   Proc Natl Acad Sci 2004; 101: 11398-11403. IF=9.6 (24 citations)
4. Kuroda J, Puthalakath H, Cragg MS, Kelly PN, Bouillet P, Huang DCS, Kimura S, Ottmann OG, Druker BJ, Villunger A, Roberts AW, Strasser A.
   Pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins Bim and Bad mediate imatinib-induce killing of Bcr/Abl+ leukemic cells and resistance due to their loss is overcome by a BH3 mimetic.
   Proc Natl Acad Sci 2006; 103:14907-12. IF=9.6 (51 citations)
5. van Delft MF, Wei AH, Mason KD, Vandenberg CJ, Chen L, Czabotar PE, Willis SN, Scott CL, Day CL, Cory S, Adams JA*, Roberts AW*, Huang DCS*.
   The BH3 mimetic ABT-737 targets selective Bcl-2 proteins and efficiently induces apoptosis via Bak/Bax if Mcl-1 is neutralized.
   Cancer Cell 2006; 10:389-99. (* joint senior authors) IF=23.9 (108 citations)
6. Mason KD, Carpinelli MR, Fletcher JI, Collinge JE, Hilton AA, Ellis S, Kelly PN, Ekert PG, Metcalf D, Roberts AW, Huang DCS, Kile BT.
   Programmed anuclear cell death delimits platelet life span.
   Cell 2007; 128:1173-1186. IF=29.9 (36 citations)
7. Boyle K, Egan P, Rakar S, Willson TA, Wicks IP, Metcalf D, Hilton DJ, Nicola NA, Alexander WS, Roberts AW and Robb L.
   The SOCS box of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-3 contributes to the control of G-CSF responsiveness in vivo.
   Blood 2007; 110:1466-74. IF = 10.9
8. Eyles JL, Hickey M, Norman MU, Croker BA, Roberts AW, Drake S, James W, Metcalf D, Campbell I, Wicks IP.
   A key role for G-CSF-induced neutrophil production and trafficking during inflammatory arthritis.
   Blood 2008; 112:5193-201. IF = 10.9
9. Mason KD, Vanderberg C, Scott C, Wei A, Cory S*, Huang DCS* and Roberts AW*.
   In vivo efficacy of the Bcl-2 antagonist ABT-737 against aggressive Myc-driven lymphomas.
   Proc Natl Acad Sci 2008; 105:17961-6. *Joint senior authors IF=9.

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Current Laboratory Members

Faculty Member: Andrew Roberts, MB BS Qld PhD Melb FRACP FRCPA

Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: Ben Croker, BSc(Hons) UNSW PhD Melb

Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: Kylie Mason, FRACP MB BS PhD Melb FRCPA

Postgraduate Student: Hiu Kiu, BBiomedSc(Hons) Melb

Postgraduate Student: Seong Khaw, MB BS(Hons) Adelaide

Research Assistant: Louise Cengia, BSc UTAS

Research Technician: Joanne O'Donnell

Visiting MD Student: Simon He, MB BS Melb

Undergraduate Student: Miguel Cabalag