-
Areas
Diseases
  • Neurodevelopmental disorder
  • Chromatin disorders
Technologies
  • Transcriptomics
  • Epigenomics
  • Mouse genetics
  • Pathology
  • Molecular biology
Themes / Divisions

About

Prof. Anne K. Voss established her laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia in 2000, after post-doctoral positions at Cornell University, USA and at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany. From 2012-2018 Anne was Head of the Development and Cancer Division, from 2019-2023 she was Joint-Head and is now Head of the Epigenetics and Development Division at WEHI. Anne received the Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship (Biomedical Science) in 2015; the ATSE Clunies Ross Award (Knowledge Commercialisation) in 2021 with Tim Thomas and Jonathan Baell, for the commercialisation of MYST histone acetyltransferase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer; the Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation in 2021 and the Eureka Prize for Scientific Research 2023, both with Tim Thomas, for the characterisation of MYST proteins, discovery of their key functions, validation as novel targets for anti-cancer therapeutics, and the discovery of a new type of anti-cancer compounds. Anne investigates the genetic regulation of embryonic development, adult stem cells and cancer with particular emphasis on transcriptional regulation through chromatin modifications in health and disease. She has described the roles of the MYST family of histone acetyltransferases (KAT5, KAT6A, KAT6B, KAT7, KAT8) in embryonic development, identified their histone lysine acetylation targets, investigated their genomic distribution and effects on gene expression and DNA replication, as well as determined the cellular functions affected by loss of MYST family members in healthy cells and in cancer cells.

Publications

Selected publications from Prof Anne Voss

Bergamasco MI, Abeysekera W, Garnham AL, Hu Y, Li-Wai-Suen CS, Sheikh BN, Smyth GK, Thomas T, Voss AK. KAT6B is required for histone 3 lysine 9 acetylation and SOX gene expression in the developing brain. Life Science Alliance. 2025;8(2):10.26508/lsa.202402969

McRae HM, Leong MPY, Bergamasco MI, Garnham AL, Hu Y, Corbett MA, Whitehead L, El-Saafin F, Sheikh BN, Wilcox S, Hannan AJ, Gécz J, Smyth GK, Thomas T, Voss AK. Loss of PHF6 causes spontaneous seizures, enlarged brain ventricles and altered transcription in the cortex of a mouse model of the Börjeson–Forssman–Lehmann intellectual disability syndrome. PLOS Genetics. 2024;20(10):10.1371/journal.pgen.1011428

Donoghue S, Wright J, Voss AK, Lockhart PJ, Amor DJ. The Mendelian disorders of chromatin machinery: Harnessing metabolic pathways and therapies for treatment. Molecular Genetics and Metabolism. 2024;142(1):10.1016/j.ymgme.2024.108360

Bergamasco MI, Ranathunga N, Abeysekera W, Li-Wai-Suen CSN, Garnham AL, Willis SN, McRae HM, Yang Y, D’Amico A, Di Rago L, Wilcox S, Nutt SL, Alexander WS, Smyth GK, Voss AK, Thomas T. The histone acetyltransferase KAT6B is required for hematopoietic stem cell development and function. Stem Cell Reports. 2024;19(4):10.1016/j.stemcr.2024.02.005

Bergamasco MI, Vanyai HK, Garnham AL, Geoghegan ND, Vogel AP, Eccles S, Rogers KL, Smyth GK, Blewitt ME, Hannan AJ, Thomas T, Voss AK. Increasing histone acetylation improves sociability and restores learning and memory in KAT6B-haploinsufficient mice. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2024;134(7):10.1172/jci167672

Rasool D, Burban A, Sharanek A, Madrigal A, Hu J, Yan K, Qu D, Voss AK, Slack RS, Thomas T, Bonni A, Picketts DJ, Soleimani VD, Najafabadi HS, Jahani-Asl A. PHF6-mediated transcriptional control of NSC via Ephrin receptors is impaired in the intellectual disability syndrome BFLS. EMBO Reports. 2024;25(3):10.1038/s44319-024-00082-0

Mah SYY, Vanyai HK, Li-Wai-Suen CSN, Garnham AL, Wynn J, Bergamasco MI, Malelang S, Wilcox S, Biben C, Smyth GK, Thomas T, Voss AK. ING4 and ING5 are essential for histone H3 lysine 14 acetylation and epicardial cell lineage development.Development. 2024;151(5):10.1242/dev.202617

La Marca JE, Aubrey BJ, Yang B, Chang C, Wang Z, Kueh A, Tai L, Wilcox S, Milla L, Heinzel S, Vremec D, Whelan L, König C, Kaloni D, Voss AK, Strasser A, Diepstraten ST, Herold MJ, Kelly GL. Genome-wide CRISPR screening identifies a role for ARRDC3 in TRP53-mediated responses. Cell Death & Differentiation. 2024;31(2):10.1038/s41418-023-01249-3

Frank D, Bergamasco M, Mlodzianoski MJ, Kueh A, Tsui E, Hall C, Kastrappis G, Voss AK, McLean C, Faux M, Rogers KL, Tran B, Vincan E, Komander D, Dewson G, Tran H. Trabid patient mutations impede the axonal trafficking of adenomatous polyposis coli to disrupt neurite growth. eLife. 2023;12:10.7554/elife.90796

Frank D, Bergamasco M, Mlodzianoski MJ, Kueh A, Tsui E, Hall C, Kastrappis G, Voss AK, McLean C, Faux M, Rogers KL, Tran B, Vincan E, Komander D, Dewson G, Tran H. Trabid patient mutations impede the axonal trafficking of adenomatous polyposis coli to disrupt neurite growth. eLife. 2023;12:10.7554/elife.90796.3

Interested in supporting our research?

Your support will help WEHI’s researchers make discoveries and find treatments to ensure healthier, longer lives for you and your loved ones.

Contact our friendly team to find out how you can help.