Overview
Background
Professor Brandon Wainwright AM is Co-Director of the Children’s Brain Cancer Centre and leads a laboratory within the UQ Diamantina Institute focused on understanding the genetic pathways behind medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumour that occurs predominantly in children. He is Chair of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Australia, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Robinson Research Institute and Chair of the Board of the South Australian Immunogenomics Cancer Institute (SAIGENCI), and serves on the boards the Australian Genome Research Facility as well as several national and international scientific review committees, including the MRFF Brain Tumour Roadmap Committee.
Professor Wainwright completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at The University of Adelaide, after which he secured a postdoctoral fellowship with St Mary's Hospital at Imperial College London. During his six years at Imperial he worked on the first human genome project and also became a Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellow. He returned to Australia in 1990 to join UQ's Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology (now IMB) and led the Institute for Molecular Biology until 2019.
Professor Wainwright is a geneticist, renowned for discovering the genetic pathway that causes most human cancer. He is skilled in molecular genetics, where he is using genetic approaches to dig through DNA and find the genes that cause disease. He commenced using these skills to locate the cystic fibrosis gene, but it was when isolating a gene responsible for a rare form of brain cancer called Medulloblastoma, that he discovered the role of the ‘Hedgehog Pathway' in common human cancer.
Availability
- Professor Brandon Wainwright is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Research interests
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Cancer and cell signalling
Skin cancer is a major public health issue in Australia, with the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer costing our community more than $264 million each year. Moreover, brain tumours remain the most common cause of cancer-related death in children and of these, medulloblastoma is the most commonly diagnosed. Our laboratory has made great progress in understanding the genetic pathways behind the most common form of skin cancer in Australia, Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC), and medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumour that occurs predominantly in children. Having mapped and isolated the Naevoid Basel Cell Carcinoma Syndrome (NBCCS) gene called Patched, which is the driver for a medical condition where affected individuals have a predisposition for developing BCC and medulloblastoma, we were able to identify the Patched gene as a controller of a molecular signalling pathway called the Hedgehog pathway. The Hedgehog pathway is a set of genetic mutations that contribute to the development of a wide range of tumour types, including lung, pancreatic and ovarian cancer. By examining this pathway and how it interacts with other genetic pathways, our scientists have gained a better understanding of the normal development of the skin and cerebellum, a part of the brain that controls motor functions. By manipulating the strength of the Hedgehog pathway we believe stem cell populations can be expanded or can be induced to become cancerous. Our lab has identified the core genetic components that lead to the development of medulloblastoma. This work will enable the therapeutic targeting of every medulloblastoma, not just a subset, leading to more powerful clinical trials and ultimately more effective treatment options.
Works
Search Professor Brandon Wainwright’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Conference Publication
Germline ELP1 deficiency sensitizes cerebellar granule neuron progenitors to SHH medulloblastoma
Ahmad, Shiekh Tanveer, Garcia-Lopez, Jesus, Li, Yiran, Gudenas, Brian, Hadley, Jennifer, Paul, Leena, Batts, Melissa, Soliman, Taha, Kojic, Marija, Pitre, Aaron, Manz, Frederik, Zindy, Frederique, Jones, Alun, Mayasundari, Anand, Bianski, Brandon, Tinkle, Christopher, Shirinifard, Abbas, Janke, Laura, Lu, Meifen, Pfister, Stefan M., Gajjar, Amar, Baker, Suzanne J., Roussel, Martine F., Rankovic, Zoran, Waszak, Sebastian M., Robinson, Giles W., Orr, Brent A., Wainwright, Brandon, Kutscher, Lena M. ... Northcott, Paul A. (2024). Germline ELP1 deficiency sensitizes cerebellar granule neuron progenitors to SHH medulloblastoma. International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (ISPNO), Philadelphia, PA, United States, 29 June - 2 July 2024. Cary, NC, United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noae064.462
2024
Journal Article
The Virtual Child
Gilbertson, Richard J., Behjati, Sam, Böttcher, Anna-Lisa, Bronner, Marianne E., Burridge, Matthew, Clausing, Henrick, Clifford, Harry, Danaher, Tracey, Donovan, Laura K., Drost, Jarno, Eggermont, Alexander M.M., Emerson, Chris, Flores, Mona G., Hamerlik, Petra, Jabado, Nada, Jones, Andrew, Kaessmann, Henrick, Kleinman, Claudia L., Kool, Marcel, Kutscher, Lena M., Lindberg, Gavin, Linnane, Emily, Marioni, John C., Maris, John M., Monje, Michelle, Macaskill, Alexandra, Niederer, Steven, Northcott, Paul A., Peeters, Elizabeth ... Pfister, Stefan M. (2024). The Virtual Child. Cancer Discovery, 14 (4), 663-668. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-23-1500
2023
Journal Article
Editorial: Bench to bedside: translating pre-clinical research into clinical trials for childhood brain tumors
Endersby, Raelene, Wainwright, Brandon J. and Gottardo, Nicholas G. (2023). Editorial: Bench to bedside: translating pre-clinical research into clinical trials for childhood brain tumors. Frontiers in Oncology, 13 1274465. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1274465
2023
Journal Article
Efficient detection and monitoring of pediatric brain malignancies with liquid biopsy based on patient-specific somatic mutation screening
Kojic, Marija, Maybury, Mellissa K., Waddell, Nicola, Koufariotis, Lambros T., Addala, Venkateswar, Millar, Amanda, Wood, Scott, Pearson, John V., Hansford, Jordan R., Hassall, Tim and Wainwright, Brandon J. (2023). Efficient detection and monitoring of pediatric brain malignancies with liquid biopsy based on patient-specific somatic mutation screening. Neuro-Oncology, 25 (8), 1507-1517. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noad032
2023
Conference Publication
Uncovering Dynamic Changes In Medulloblastoma Associated Vasculature In Zebrafish
Morris, Elysse, Daignault-Mill, Sheena, Ju, Robert J., da Silva, Jason, Gordon, Emma, Wainwright, Brandon, Stehbens, Samantha, Genovesi, Laura and Lagendijk, Anne (2023). Uncovering Dynamic Changes In Medulloblastoma Associated Vasculature In Zebrafish. 2023 Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Conference, Washington, DC United States, 22-24 June 2023. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noad073.274
2023
Conference Publication
ELP1 Germline Deficiency Sensitizes The Granule Neuron Lineage To SHH Medulloblastoma And Exposes Novel Therapeutic Vulnerabilities
Garcia-Lopez, Jesus, Ahmad, Shiekh Tanveer, Li, Yiran, Gudenas, Brian, Kojic, Marija, Manz, Friedrik, Jonchere, Barbara, Mayasundari, Anand, Pitre, Aaron, Hadley, Jennifer, Paul, Leena, Batts, Melissa, Pfister, Stefan, Waszak, Sebastian, Bianski, Brandon, Tinkle, Christopher, Orr, Brent, Rankovic, Zoran, Robinson, Giles, Wainwright, Brandon, Kutscher, Lena, Lin, Hong and Northcott, Paul (2023). ELP1 Germline Deficiency Sensitizes The Granule Neuron Lineage To SHH Medulloblastoma And Exposes Novel Therapeutic Vulnerabilities. 2023 Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Conference, Washington, DC United States, 22-24 June 2023. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noad073.255
2023
Journal Article
Spatial transcriptomic analysis of Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma identifies that the loss of heterogeneity and promotion of differentiation underlies the response to CDK4/6 inhibition
Vo, Tuan, Balderson, Brad, Jones, Kahli, Ni, Guiyan, Crawford, Joanna, Millar, Amanda, Tolson, Elissa, Singleton, Matthew, Kojic, Marija, Robertson, Thomas, Walters, Shaun, Mulay, Onkar, Bhuva, Dharmesh D., Davis, Melissa J., Wainwright, Brandon J., Nguyen, Quan and Genovesi, Laura A. (2023). Spatial transcriptomic analysis of Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma identifies that the loss of heterogeneity and promotion of differentiation underlies the response to CDK4/6 inhibition. Genome Medicine, 15 (1) 29, 29. doi: 10.1186/s13073-023-01185-4
2023
Journal Article
A novel ELP1 mutation impairs the function of the Elongator complex and causes a severe neurodevelopmental phenotype
Kojic, Marija, Abbassi, Nour E. H., Lin, Ting-Yu, Jones, Alun, Wakeling, Emma L., Clement, Emma, Nakou, Vasiliki, Singleton, Matthew, Dobosz, Dominika, Kaliakatsos, Marios, Glatt, Sebastian and Wainwright, Brandon J. (2023). A novel ELP1 mutation impairs the function of the Elongator complex and causes a severe neurodevelopmental phenotype. Journal of Human Genetics, 68 (7), 445-453. doi: 10.1038/s10038-023-01135-3
2023
Journal Article
Elongator and the role of its subcomplexes in human diseases
Gaik, Monika, Kojic, Marija, Wainwright, Brandon J and Glatt, Sebastian (2023). Elongator and the role of its subcomplexes in human diseases. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 15 (2) e16418, e16418. doi: 10.15252/emmm.202216418
2022
Journal Article
Functional divergence of the two Elongator subcomplexes during neurodevelopment
Gaik, Monika, Kojic, Marija, Stegeman, Megan R., Öncü‐Öner, Tülay, Kościelniak, Anna, Jones, Alun, Mohamed, Ahmed, Chau, Pak Yan Stefanie, Sharmin, Sazia, Chramiec‐Głąbik, Andrzej, Indyka, Paulina, Rawski, Michał, Biela, Anna, Dobosz, Dominika, Millar, Amanda, Chau, Vann, Ünalp, Aycan, Piper, Michael, Bellingham, Mark C., Eichler, Evan E., Nickerson, Deborah A., Güleryüz, Handan, Abbassi, Nour El Hana, Jazgar, Konrad, Davis, Melissa J., Mercimek‐Andrews, Saadet, Cingöz, Sultan, Wainwright, Brandon J. and Glatt, Sebastian (2022). Functional divergence of the two Elongator subcomplexes during neurodevelopment. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 14 (7) e15608, e15608. doi: 10.15252/emmm.202115608
2022
Conference Publication
MEDB-06. Spatial transcriptomic analysis of Sonic Hedgehog Medulloblastoma identifies that loss of heterogeneity and induced differentiation underlies the response to CDK4/6 inhibition
Vo, Tuan, Balderson, Brad, Jones, Kahli, Crawford, Joanna, Millar, Amanda, Tolson, Elissa, Ruitenberg, Marc, Robertson, Thomas, Bhuva, Dharmesh, Davis, Melissa, Wainwright, Brandon, Nguyen, Quan and Genovesi, Laura (2022). MEDB-06. Spatial transcriptomic analysis of Sonic Hedgehog Medulloblastoma identifies that loss of heterogeneity and induced differentiation underlies the response to CDK4/6 inhibition. International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Hamburg, Germany, 12–15 June 2022. Cary, NC, United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noac079.381
2021
Journal Article
SOX9 defines distinct populations of cells in SHH medulloblastoma but is not required for Math1-driven tumour formation
Adolphe, Christelle, Millar, Amanda, Kojic, Marija, Barkauskas, Deborah S., Sundstrom, Anders, Swartling, Fredrik J., Hediyeh-zadeh, Soroor, Tan, Chin Wee, Davis, Melissa J., Genovesi, Laura A. and Wainwright, Brandon J. (2021). SOX9 defines distinct populations of cells in SHH medulloblastoma but is not required for Math1-driven tumour formation. Molecular Cancer Research, 19 (11), 1831-1839. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-21-0117
2021
Journal Article
Tumor cells generate astrocyte-like cells that contribute to SHH-driven medulloblastoma relapse
Guo, Duancheng, Wang, Yuan, Cheng, Yan, Liao, Shengyou, Hu, Jian, Du, Fang, Xu, Gang, Liu, Yongqiang, Cai, Kathy Q., Cheung, Martin, Wainwright, Brandon J., Lu, Q. Richard, Zhao, Yi and Yang, Zeng-jie (2021). Tumor cells generate astrocyte-like cells that contribute to SHH-driven medulloblastoma relapse. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 218 (9) e20202350, 1-18. doi: 10.1084/jem.20202350
2021
Journal Article
Systems pharmacogenomics identifies novel targets and clinically actionable therapeutics for medulloblastoma
Genovesi, Laura A., Millar, Amanda, Tolson, Elissa, Singleton, Matthew, Hassall, Emily, Kojic, Marija, Brighi, Caterina, Girard, Emily, Andradas, Clara, Kuchibhotla, Mani, Bhuva, Dharmesh D., Endersby, Raelene, Gottardo, Nicholas G., Bernard, Anne, Adolphe, Christelle, Olson, James M., Taylor, Michael D., Davis, Melissa J. and Wainwright, Brandon J. (2021). Systems pharmacogenomics identifies novel targets and clinically actionable therapeutics for medulloblastoma. Genome Medicine, 13 (1) 103, 103. doi: 10.1186/s13073-021-00920-z
2021
Journal Article
Elp2 mutations perturb the epitranscriptome and lead to a complex neurodevelopmental phenotype
Kojic, Marija, Gawda, Tomasz, Gaik, Monika, Begg, Alexander, Salerno-Kochan, Anna, Kurniawan, Nyoman D., Jones, Alun, Drożdżyk, Katarzyna, Kościelniak, Anna, Chramiec-Głąbik, Andrzej, Hediyeh-Zadeh, Soroor, Kasherman, Maria, Shim, Woo Jun, Sinniah, Enakshi, Genovesi, Laura A., Abrahamsen, Rannvá K., Fenger, Christina D., Madsen, Camilla G., Cohen, Julie S., Fatemi, Ali, Stark, Zornitza, Lunke, Sebastian, Lee, Joy, Hansen, Jonas K., Boxill, Martin F., Keren, Boris, Marey, Isabelle, Saenz, Margarita S., Brown, Kathleen ... Wainwright, Brandon J. (2021). Elp2 mutations perturb the epitranscriptome and lead to a complex neurodevelopmental phenotype. Nature Communications, 12 (1) 2678, 2678. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22888-5
2021
Journal Article
Vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy is driven by canonical NLRP3 activation and IL-1β release
Starobova, Hana, Monteleone, Mercedes, Adolphe, Christelle, Batoon, Lena, Sandrock, Cheyenne J., Tay, Bryan, Deuis, Jennifer R., Smith, Alexandra V., Mueller, Alexander, Nadar, Evelyn Israel, Lawrence, Grace Pamo, Mayor, Amanda, Tolson, Elissa, Levesque, Jean-Pierre, Pettit, Allison R., Wainwright, Brandon J., Schroder, Kate and Vetter, Irina (2021). Vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy is driven by canonical NLRP3 activation and IL-1β release. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 218 (5) e20201452. doi: 10.1084/jem.20201452
2021
Journal Article
Genetic and functional interaction network analysis reveals global enrichment of regulatory T cell genes influencing basal cell carcinoma susceptibility
Adolphe, Christelle, Xue, Angli, Fard, Atefeh Taherian, Genovesi, Laura A., Yang, Jian and Wainwright, Brandon J. (2021). Genetic and functional interaction network analysis reveals global enrichment of regulatory T cell genes influencing basal cell carcinoma susceptibility. Genome Medicine, 13 (1) 19, 19. doi: 10.1186/s13073-021-00827-9
2020
Journal Article
Patient derived orthotopic xenograft models of Medulloblastoma lack a functional blood brain barrier
Genovesi, Laura A., Puttick, Simon, Millar, Amanda, Kojic, Marija, Ji, Pengxiang, Lagendijk, Anne K., Brighi, Caterina, Bonder, Claudine S, Adolphe, Christelle and Wainwright, Brandon J. (2020). Patient derived orthotopic xenograft models of Medulloblastoma lack a functional blood brain barrier. Neuro-Oncology, 23 (5), 732-742. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa266
2020
Journal Article
Germline elongator mutations in Sonic Hedgehog medulloblastoma
Waszak, Sebastian M., Robinson, Giles W,, Gudenas, Brian L., Smith, Kyle S., Forget, Antoine, Kojic, Marija, Garcia-Lopez, Jesus, Hadley, Jennifer, Hamilton, Kayla V., Indersie, Emilie, Buchhalter, Ivo, Kerssemakers, Jules, Jäger, Natalie, Sharma, Tanvi, Rausch, Tobias, Kool, Marcel, Sturm, Dominik, Jones, David T. W., Vasilyeva, Aksana, Tatevossian, Ruth G., Neale, Geoffrey, Lombard, Bérangère, Loew, Damarys, Nakitandwe, Joy, Rusch, Michael, Bowers, Daniel C., Bendel, Anne, Partap, Sonia, Chintagumpala, Murali ... Pfister, Stefan M. (2020). Germline elongator mutations in Sonic Hedgehog medulloblastoma. Nature, 580 (7803), 396-401. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2164-5
2020
Journal Article
Ectopic expression of SOX18 in Basal cell carcinoma negatively regulates tumour progression
Villani, Rehan, Sim, Seen Ling, Roy, Edwige, Wainwright, Brandon, Francois, Mathias and Khosrotehrani, Kiarash (2020). Ectopic expression of SOX18 in Basal cell carcinoma negatively regulates tumour progression. Journal of Dermatological Science, 98 (3), 179-185. doi: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2020.04.006
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Brandon Wainwright is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
The role of the blood brain barrier in the successful treatment of brain tumours in children
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
New treatments for children with medulloblastoma.
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
A new therapy for paediatric brain tumours.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Joseph Yunis
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Doctor Philosophy
Investigation into network-defined novel targeted therapies for medulloblastoma
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Laura Genovesi
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Doctor Philosophy
Complex neoantigen prediction in cancers
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Venkateswara Addala
Completed supervision
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Targeting Apoptosis as A Novel Therapy for Medulloblastoma
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor John Hooper, Dr Laura Genovesi
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
The Relationship between Patched and Sox9 in Regulating Skin Stem Cells, Wound Response and Skin Tumorigenesis
Principal Advisor
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic Regulation of Development and Disorders of the Cerebellum
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Laura Genovesi
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
The Role of Dicer in Cerebellar Development and Hedgehog-Mediated Medulloblastoma
Principal Advisor
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
The Role of N-myc and C-myc in Skin Development and in Hedgehog Pathway-Induced Tumorigenesis
Principal Advisor
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
The role of Patched1 during development of the mouse cerebellum and regulation of neural stem cells in medulloblastoma
Principal Advisor
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
The molecular basis of medulloblastoma: interaction of hedgehog and Notch signalling in brain development and cancer
Principal Advisor
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
Hedgehog signalling in lung development and airway regeneration
Principal Advisor
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2007
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of the Host Immune Response in Cystic Fibrosis Mice.
Principal Advisor
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2006
Doctor Philosophy
IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL DOWNSTREAM TARGETS OF SONIC, INDIAN AND DESERT HEDGEHOG
Principal Advisor
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2005
Doctor Philosophy
THE STRUCTURE-FUNCTION ANALYSIS OF THE PATCHED PROTEIN
Principal Advisor
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2003
Doctor Philosophy
EFFECTS OF SONIC, DESERT AND INDIAN HEDGEHOG SIGNALLING IN SKIN
Principal Advisor
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2003
Doctor Philosophy
DOWNSTREAM TARGETS OF PATCHED, THE GENE RESPONSIBLE FOR NEVOID BASAL CELL CARCINOMA SYNDROME
Principal Advisor
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
An exploration of unsolved central nervous system white matter disorders with next-generation sequencing
Associate Advisor
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
The role of Nuclear Factor One transcription factors in cerebellar development
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Michael Piper
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
A computational analysis of transcription factor interactions and binding guided by epigenetics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Michael Piper, Professor Mikael Boden
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
Novel genes regulated by the hedgehog pathway, and their contribution to limb and craniofacial development
Associate Advisor
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2006
Doctor Philosophy
THE GENETICS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
Associate Advisor
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2005
Doctor Philosophy
MOLECULAR EVENTS IN HEDGEHOG SIGNALLING: REGULATION BY VESICULAR TRAFFICKING AND STEROLS
Associate Advisor
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
TRANSCRIPTIONAL ANALYSIS OF MACROPHAGE SIGNALLING IN RESPONSE TO LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Hume
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL GLI3 DEPENDENT TRANSCRIPTS IN THE DEVELOPING VERTEBATE LIMB
Associate Advisor
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
THE MOLECULAR GENETICS OF MAMMALIAN SEX DETERMINATION
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Brandon Wainwright directly for media enquiries about:
- brain cancer
- brain tumour
- genetics
- genomics
- health research
- medical research
- medulloblastoma
- science policy
- scientific leadership
- skin cancer
- tumours
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