Anatomical Pathology research

The Department of Anatomical Pathology’s main research areas involve collaborative projects on breast cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, muscle disease and neurodegenerative diseases.

Grants

Professor McLean is a co-investigator on the Victorian Cancer Agency Melbourne Melanoma Project Award (2014- 2017), of over $3 million, led by Professor Grant McArthur of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The Victorian Melanoma Service is also a co-investigator on this project.

In collaboration with her Monash University partner Professor Christina Mitchell, Professor Catriona MacLean was awarded:

  • A five-year NHMRC Project Grant (2015-2019) of $916,231 entitled ‘Characterisation of autophagy deficiency in skeletal muscle homeostasis’ (CIA: Mitchell; CIC: McLean).
  • A 12-month Cancer Council Victoria Grant-in-Aid for 2015 of $100,000 entitled ‘Characterisation of a novel oncogenic pathway in breast cancer’ (CIA: Mitchell; CIB: McLean). Studies will be aimed at looking at both primary and secondary tumour growth.

Prizes

In 2014, trainee Dr Louise Jackett and Professor McLean were awarded first prize at the National Update in Pathology (a Royal College of Pathologists of Australia meeting) for their work on ‘Correlation of autopsy pathology with clinical diagnoses in life’. Appreciating the diagnoses that are missed provides an important contribution to improving clinical practice at Alfred Health.

Publications

SIRT1 is increased in affected brain regions and hypothalamic metabolic pathways are altered in Huntington disease

Baldo B, Gabery S, Soylu-Kucharz R, Cheong RY, Henningsen JB, Englund E, McLean C, Kirik D, Halliday G, Petersén Å

(2019), NEUROPATH APPL NEURO, 45(4), 361-79

DOI: 10.1111/nan.12514

C9orf72 intermediate repeats are associated with corticobasal degeneration, increased C9orf72 expression and disruption of autophagy

Cali CP, Patino M, Tai YK, Ho WY, McLean CA, Morris CM, Seeley WW, Miller BL, Gaig C, Vonsattel JPG, White CL 3rd, Roeber S, Kretzschmar H, Troncoso JC, Troakes C, Gearing M, Ghetti B, Van Deerlin VM, Lee VM, Trojanowski JQ, Mok KY, Ling H, Dickson DW, Schellenberg GD, Ling SC, Lee EB

(2019), Acta Neuropathol, 138(5), 795-811

DOI: 10.1007/s00401-019-02045-5

Anatomic location of primary melanoma: Survival differences and sun exposure

Howard MD, Wee E, Wolfe R, McLean CA, Kelly JW, Pan Y

(2019), J Am Acad Dermatol, 81(2), 500-9

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.04.034

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