Dr Mitchell Stark
Dr

Mitchell Stark

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 344 38027

Background

Dr Mitchell Stark is a molecular biologist and Group Leader/Senior Research Fellow from the Dermatology Research Centre (DRC) based at the Frazer Institute. His group has extensive experience in microRNA biology and biomarker discovery, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, and functional analysis for a variety of applications. The Stark Lab’s major research streams include: miRNA biomarkers for melanoma progression and the development a Genomics Atlas of pre-skin cancer lesions, which aim to provide insight into the early progression of melanoma and keratinocyte cancer, to aid in preventing invasive skin cancer formation and offer increased precision to the clinical management of patients.

Dr Stark completed his PhD (2015) in melanoma microRNA biomarkers at The Queensland University of Technology based at the QIMR Berghofer (QIMRB) Medical Research Institute. Prior to commencing his PhD, he worked as Senior Research Assistant (since 1999) and was trained and mentored in the Hayward lab (QIMRB) where he contributed to and led some seminal findings in the melanoma genetics/genomics field. Dr Stark joined the DRC in 2015 and in 2016 he was awarded a prestigious NHMRC Peter Doherty Early Career Fellowship to lead a pre-melanoma genomics program. Dr Stark has a career total of 80+ publications (h-index 35) including 1 patent and has published in respected journals such as Nature, Nature Genetics, Cancer Research, and Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Availability

Dr Mitchell Stark is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Biological Sciences Genetics

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Applied Science, Queensland University of Technology
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology

Research interests

  • MicroRNA Biomarkers

    Current projects relate to melanoma progression microRNA biomarkers to aid in increased diagnostic precision of “ambiguous” melanocytic lesions as well as “real-time” monitoring of melanoma disease progression using a “liquid biopsy.”

  • Genomics Atlas of pre-skin cancer lesions

    Current projects involve using overlapping genomics datasets (e.g. exome, mRNA and miRNA transcriptome, methylation) as well as Spatial Profiling to greater understand the early hallmarks of pre-skin cancer development.

Search Professor Mitchell Stark’s works on UQ eSpace

108 works between 2001 and 2024
All (108) Journal Article (92) Book Chapter (1) Conference Publication (15)

41 - 60 of 108 works

2019

Journal Article

Large-giant congenital melanocytic nevi: moving beyond NRAS mutations

Stark, Mitchell S. (2019). Large-giant congenital melanocytic nevi: moving beyond NRAS mutations. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 139 (4), 756-759. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.10.003

Large-giant congenital melanocytic nevi: moving beyond NRAS mutations

2019

Journal Article

High naevus count and MC1R red hair alleles contribute synergistically to increased melanoma risk

Duffy, D. L., Lee, K. J., Jagirdar, K., Pflugfelder, A., Stark, M. S., McMeniman, E. K., Soyer, H. P. and Sturm, R. A. (2019). High naevus count and MC1R red hair alleles contribute synergistically to increased melanoma risk. British Journal of Dermatology, 181 (5) bjd.17833, 1009-1016. doi: 10.1111/bjd.17833

High naevus count and MC1R red hair alleles contribute synergistically to increased melanoma risk

2018

Journal Article

Defining the molecular genetics of dermoscopic naevus patterns

Tan, Jean-Marie, Tom, Lisa N., Soyer, H. Peter and Stark, Mitchell S. (2018). Defining the molecular genetics of dermoscopic naevus patterns. Dermatology , 235 (1), 1-16. doi: 10.1159/000493892

Defining the molecular genetics of dermoscopic naevus patterns

2018

Journal Article

Somatic inactivating PTPRJ mutations and dysregulated pathways identified in canine malignant melanoma by integrated comparative genomic analysis

Hendricks, William P D, Zismann, Victoria, Sivaprakasam, Karthigayini, Legendre, Christophe, Poorman, Kelsey, Tembe, Waibhav, Perdigones, Nieves, Kiefer, Jeffrey, Liang, Winnie, DeLuca, Valerie, Stark, Mitchell, Ruhe, Alison, Froman, Roe, Duesbery, Nicholas S, Washington, Megan, Aldrich, Jessica, Neff, Mark W, Huentelman, Matthew J, Hayward, Nicholas, Brown, Kevin, Thamm, Douglas, Post, Gerald, Khanna, Chand, Davis, Barbara, Breen, Matthew, Sekulic, Alexander and Trent, Jeffrey M (2018). Somatic inactivating PTPRJ mutations and dysregulated pathways identified in canine malignant melanoma by integrated comparative genomic analysis. PLoS Genetics, 14 (9) e1007589, e1007589. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007589

Somatic inactivating PTPRJ mutations and dysregulated pathways identified in canine malignant melanoma by integrated comparative genomic analysis

2018

Journal Article

Whole-exome sequencing of acquired nevi identifies mechanisms for development and maintenance of benign neoplasms (vol 138, pg 1636, 2018)

Stark, Mitchell S., Tan, Jean-Marie, Tom, Lisa, Jagirdar, Kasturee, Lambie, Duncan, Schaider, Helmut, Soyer, H. Peter and Sturm, Richard A. (2018). Whole-exome sequencing of acquired nevi identifies mechanisms for development and maintenance of benign neoplasms (vol 138, pg 1636, 2018). Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 138 (9), 2085-2085. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.06.174

Whole-exome sequencing of acquired nevi identifies mechanisms for development and maintenance of benign neoplasms (vol 138, pg 1636, 2018)

2018

Journal Article

The BRAF and NRAS mutation prevalence in dermoscopic subtypes of acquired naevi reveals constitutive MAPK pathway activation

Tan, J. M., Tom, L. N., Jagirdar, K., Lambie, D., Schaider, H., Sturm, R. A., Soyer, H. P. and Stark, M. S. (2018). The BRAF and NRAS mutation prevalence in dermoscopic subtypes of acquired naevi reveals constitutive MAPK pathway activation. British Journal of Dermatology, 178 (1), 191-197. doi: 10.1111/bjd.15809

The BRAF and NRAS mutation prevalence in dermoscopic subtypes of acquired naevi reveals constitutive MAPK pathway activation

2018

Conference Publication

Distinct epigenetic remodelling defines early stress-induced drug tolerance in melanoma

Emran, A., Marzese, D. M., Menon, D. R., Stark, M., Torrano, J., Hammerlindl, H., Zhang, G., Brafford, P., Hammerlindl, S., Gupta, D., Mills, G. B., Lu, Y., Flaherty, K., Sturm, R., Hoon, D. S. B., Gabrielli, B., Herlyn, M. and Schaider, H. (2018). Distinct epigenetic remodelling defines early stress-induced drug tolerance in melanoma. Australasian College of Dermatologists, 51st Annual Scientific Meeting, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia , 19–22 May 2018. Richmond, VIC, Australia: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/ajd.16_12815

Distinct epigenetic remodelling defines early stress-induced drug tolerance in melanoma

2018

Conference Publication

Whole-exome sequencing of acquired nevi identifies novel mechanisms for development and maintenance of benign neoplasms

Stark, Mitchell S., Tan, Jean-Marie, Tom, Lisa, Jagirdar, Kasturee, Lambie, Duncan, Schaider, Helmut, Soyer, H. Peter and Sturm, Richard A. (2018). Whole-exome sequencing of acquired nevi identifies novel mechanisms for development and maintenance of benign neoplasms. Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Chicago, Illinois, 14-18 April 2018. Philadelphia, PA, United States: American Association for Cancer Research. doi: 10.1158/1538-7445.AM2018-5376

Whole-exome sequencing of acquired nevi identifies novel mechanisms for development and maintenance of benign neoplasms

2017

Journal Article

Distinct histone modifications denote early stress-induced drug tolerance in cancer

Emran, Abdullah Al, Marzese, Diego M., Menon, Dinoop Ravindran, Stark, Mitchell S., Torrano, Joachim, Hammerlindl, Heinz, Zhang, Gao, Brafford, Patricia, Salomon, Matthew P., Nelson, Nellie, Hammerlindl, Sabrina, Gupta, Deepesh, Mills, Gordon B., Lu, Yiling, Sturm, Richard A., Flaherty, Keith, Hoon, Dave S. B., Gabrielli, Brian, Herlyn, Meenhard and Schaider, Helmut (2017). Distinct histone modifications denote early stress-induced drug tolerance in cancer. Oncotarget, 9 (9), 8206-8222. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.23654

Distinct histone modifications denote early stress-induced drug tolerance in cancer

2017

Journal Article

Melanoma treatment guided by a panel of microRNA biomarkers

Stark, Mitchell S. (2017). Melanoma treatment guided by a panel of microRNA biomarkers. Melanoma Management, 4 (2), 71-74. doi: 10.2217/mmt-2017-0006

Melanoma treatment guided by a panel of microRNA biomarkers

2017

Conference Publication

The prevalence of BRAF and NRAS in dermoscopic subtypes of acquired naevi

Tan, J-M., Tom, L., Jagirdar, K., Lambie, D., Sturm, R., Soyer, P. and Stark, M. (2017). The prevalence of BRAF and NRAS in dermoscopic subtypes of acquired naevi. Australasian College of Dermatologists 50th Annual Scientific Meeting, Darling Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, 6–9 May 2017. Richmond, VIC., Australia: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia. doi: 10.1111/ajd.21_12652

The prevalence of BRAF and NRAS in dermoscopic subtypes of acquired naevi

2017

Book Chapter

Gene expression array analysis to identify candidate tumor suppressor genes in melanoma

Stark, Mitchell S. and Bonazzi, Vanessa F. (2017). Gene expression array analysis to identify candidate tumor suppressor genes in melanoma. Methods in Molecular Biology. (pp. 1-17) New York, NY, United States: Springer. doi: 10.1007/7651_2017_54

Gene expression array analysis to identify candidate tumor suppressor genes in melanoma

2016

Conference Publication

Can melanoma treatment be guided by a panel of predictive and prognostic microRNA biomarkers?

Stark, M., Gray, E., Ziman, M., Soyer, H. P. and Schaider, H. (2016). Can melanoma treatment be guided by a panel of predictive and prognostic microRNA biomarkers?. 16th World Congress on Cancers of the Skin , Vienna, Austria, 31 August - 3 September 2016. Philadelphia, PA United States: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Can melanoma treatment be guided by a panel of predictive and prognostic microRNA biomarkers?

2016

Conference Publication

Epigenetic remodelling of H3K9Me3 leads to early stress induced drug tolerance in cancer

Emran, A. A., Menon, D. R., Marzese, D., Hammerlindl, H., Brafford, P., Stark, M., Huang, S., Hammerlindl, S., Gupta, D., Soyer, P., Sturm, R., Hoon, D., Gabrielli, B., Herlyn, M. and Schaider, H. (2016). Epigenetic remodelling of H3K9Me3 leads to early stress induced drug tolerance in cancer. Asia‐Pacific Combined Dermatology Research Conference 2016, Noosa, QLD Australia, 25–28 August 2016. Richmond, VIC Australia: Wiley-Blackwell.

Epigenetic remodelling of H3K9Me3 leads to early stress induced drug tolerance in cancer

2016

Journal Article

The 'Melanoma-enriched' microRNA miR-4731-5p acts as a tumour suppressor

Stark, Mitchell S., Tom, Lisa N., Boyle, Glen M., Bonazzi, Vanessa F., Soyer, H. Peter, Herington, Adrian C., Pollock, Pamela M. and Hayward, Nicholas K. (2016). The 'Melanoma-enriched' microRNA miR-4731-5p acts as a tumour suppressor. Oncotarget, 7 (31), 49677-49687. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.10109

The 'Melanoma-enriched' microRNA miR-4731-5p acts as a tumour suppressor

2016

Conference Publication

Identification of unique molecular signatures of differentially cycling tumour cell subpopulations in a 3D melanoma model

Ahmed, F., Tonnessen, C., Spoerri, L., Daignault, S., Stark, M., Schaider, H., Hill, M. and Haass, N. (2016). Identification of unique molecular signatures of differentially cycling tumour cell subpopulations in a 3D melanoma model. Asia-Pacific Combined Dermatology Research Conference 2016, Noosa, QLD Australia, 25–28 August 2016. Richmond, VIC Australia: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia. doi: 10.1111/ajd.12584

Identification of unique molecular signatures of differentially cycling tumour cell subpopulations in a 3D melanoma model

2015

Journal Article

miR-514a regulates the tumour suppressor NF1 and modulates BRAFi sensitivity in melanoma

Stark, Mitchell S., Bonazzi, Vanessa F., Boyle, Glen M., Palmer, Jane M., Symmons, Judith, Lanagan, Catherine M., Schmidt, Christopher W., Herington, Adrian C., Ballotti, Robert, Pollock, Pamela M. and Hayward, Nicholas K. (2015). miR-514a regulates the tumour suppressor NF1 and modulates BRAFi sensitivity in melanoma. Oncotarget, 6 (19), 17753-17763. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.3924

miR-514a regulates the tumour suppressor NF1 and modulates BRAFi sensitivity in melanoma

2015

Journal Article

MicroRNA and mRNA expression profiling in metastatic melanoma reveal associations with BRAF mutation and patient prognosis

Tembe, Varsha, Schramm, Sarah-Jane, Stark, Mitchell, Patrick, Ellis, Jayaswal, Vivek, Tang, Yue Hang, Barbour, Andrew, Hayward, Nicholas K., Thompson, John F., Scolyer, Richard A., Yang, Yee Hwa and Mann, Graham J. (2015). MicroRNA and mRNA expression profiling in metastatic melanoma reveal associations with BRAF mutation and patient prognosis. Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research, 28 (3), 254-266. doi: 10.1111/pcmr.12343

MicroRNA and mRNA expression profiling in metastatic melanoma reveal associations with BRAF mutation and patient prognosis

2015

Journal Article

The Prognostic and Predictive Value of Melanoma-related MicroRNAs Using Tissue and Serum: A MicroRNA Expression Analysis

Stark, Mitchell S., Klein, Kerenaftali, Weide, Benjamin, Haydu, Lauren E., Pflugfelder, Annette, Tang, Yue Hang, Palmer, Jane M., Whiteman, David C., Scolyer, Richard A., Mann, Graham J., Thompson, John F., Long, Georgina V., Barbour, Andrew P., Soyer, H. Peter, Garbe, Claus, Herington, Adrian, Pollock, Pamela M. and Hayward, Nicholas K. (2015). The Prognostic and Predictive Value of Melanoma-related MicroRNAs Using Tissue and Serum: A MicroRNA Expression Analysis. EBioMedicine, 2 (7), 671-680. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.05.011

The Prognostic and Predictive Value of Melanoma-related MicroRNAs Using Tissue and Serum: A MicroRNA Expression Analysis

2015

Journal Article

Nonsense mutations in the shelterin complex genes ACD and TERF2IP in familial melanoma

Aoude, Lauren G., Pritchard, Antonia L., Robles-Espinoza, Carla Daniela, Wadt, Karin, Harland, Mark, Choi, Jiyeon, Gartside, Michael, Quesada, Victor, Johansson, Peter, Palmer, Jane M., Ramsay, Andrew J., Zhang, Xijun, Jones, Kristine, Symmons, Judith, Holland, Elizabeth A., Schmid, Helen, Bonazzi, Vanessa, Woods, Susan, Dutton-Regester, Ken, Stark, Mitchell S., Snowden, Helen, van Doom, Remco, Montgomery, Grant W., Martin, Nicholas G., Keane, Thomas M., Lopez-Otin, Carlos, Gerdes, Anne-Marie, Olsson, Hakan, Ingvar, Christian ... Hayward, Nicholas K. (2015). Nonsense mutations in the shelterin complex genes ACD and TERF2IP in familial melanoma. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 107 (2) dju408, 1-7. doi: 10.1093/jnci/dju408

Nonsense mutations in the shelterin complex genes ACD and TERF2IP in familial melanoma

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2029
    Exploration of the skin molecular ecosystem and early melanoma development
    NHMRC Investigator Grants
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2025
    PREDICT: PREcision DIagnostiCs for early melanoma detection using spaTial biology and AI-guided image analysis
    United States Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs - Melanoma Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2024
    Advanced technological approach to predicting survival in patients diagnosed with locally invasive cutaneous melanoma
    Cancer Council Queensland
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022 - 2023
    Laser capture microdissection to empower cancer discoveries, improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes in amyloidosis patients
    IPF Healthy - Medical Research
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    Whole exome and transcriptome profiling of patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma exposed to immunotherapy: C-Seq STUDY (Research Support Scheme Project Grant led by Metro South HHS)
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Improving outcomes for patients with melanoma brain metastases using novel personalised and response-adapted treatment strategies (PARF Translation Research Innovation Award administered by MSHHS)
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2021
    Assessment of precision melanoma diagnostics
    Queensland Government Advance Queensland Innovation Partnerships
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2018
    MicroRNA expression profiling of SCCs and precursor lesions: The identification of a distinct microRNA expression signature from actinic keratosis, intraepidermal carcinoma, and invasive squamous...
    Australasian College of Dermatologists Scientific Research Fund
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2019
    Identification of the molecular hallmarks of naevi progressing to melanoma
    NHMRC Early Career Fellowships
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Mitchell Stark is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • PhD projects available

    Australian domestic or on-shore International student applicants only.

    The Stark Lab is seeking talented and highly motivated PhD student(s) to join their team at The Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute. Various projects are available relating to 2 major research streams: microRNA biomarkers for melanoma progression and the development a Genomics Atlas of pre-skin cancer lesions.

    If you are interested to hear more about the projects, please send your current CV, Academic Transcript, and Cover Letter to m.stark@uq.edu.au

    Living stipend scholarships and Tuition Scholarships are available for application from the UQ Graduate School which are currently a Base Stipend of $28,854 per annum tax free (2022 rate), indexed annually, Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). Top-up Scholarships (tax-free) may also be available.

    Applications for scholarships close 17 July 2022 (International) and 25 September (Domestic) for commencement in RQ1 and RQ2 2023.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Dr Mitchell Stark directly for media enquiries about:

  • Cancer Biomarker
  • Early melanoma detection
  • Genomics
  • Melanoma
  • microRNA
  • Naevi

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