Associate Professor Peter Simpson
Associate Professor

Peter Simpson

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 66051

Background

Peter Simpson is a recognised expert in the molecular and pathological characterisation of breast and lung cancers. His research is based at the UQ Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), where he is the Head of the Cancer Theme and is a Research Group Leader in Cancer Genomics. He has published >150 articles (>12,000 citations, H-index 52; Scopus, May2025) including in Nature, Nature Medicine, Annals of Oncology and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. He co-manages the Brisbane Breast Bank (BBB), a tissue bank created to facilitate clinical breast cancer research, and the Debutant lung cancer Program.

Pete also holds a teaching appointment in UQ, where he is passionate about the science and clinical applications of Pathology. He teaches into the UQ Medical Program (Year 1 and 2), as well as to undergraduates. He has co-authored a chapter ‘Breast Diseases’ in the latest edition (11th) of the internationally acclaimed Medical text book Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease.

Outside UQ, Pete is a Fellow of the Faculty of Science in the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (FFSc RCPA), a member of the kConFab Executive (https://www.kconfab.org/), a member of the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance Scientific Advisory Board (https://lobularbreastcancer.org/), and a member of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (Breast Cancer group).

Pete enjoys supervising students at all levels in their careers and collaborating within multidisciplinary teams spanning clinical (e.g. pathology, oncology) and science teams (e.g. in ‘omics, bioinformatics and machine learning).

Availability

Associate Professor Peter Simpson is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Bioinformatics and computational biology Biological Sciences Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Cancer cell biology Clinical sciences Epigenetics (incl. genome methylation and epigenomics) Genetics Genomics and transcriptomics Liquid biopsies Oncology and carcinogenesis Pathology (excl. oral pathology)

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Liverpool

Research interests

  • Broad Research Program

    Cancer is a very heterogeneous disease, making morphological classification and management of patients a significant challenge. Despite great advances it remains difficult to predict which patients are at risk of their disease returning (recurrence), spreading (metastasis) or which patients will gain most benefit to specific therapies. There has therefore been a concerted effort to supplement the morphological classification of disease with molecular data that can provide a clearer appreciation for this complexity and better predict tumour behaviour. This ideology has driven significant advancements in the field of molecular pathology research. My research program embraces these advances in technology to help better understand mechanisms of disease development and progression and help improve the molecular aspects of diagnosis and patient management. Themes of research involve 1) invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast, 2) breast cancer diagnosed in young individuals, and 3) lung cancer.

  • Invasive Lobular Carcinoma

    Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) is the most commonly diagnosed ‘special’ morphological type of breast cancer, comprising up to 15% of all cases. The most important biological feature of lobular breast cancer is the functional loss of cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin. This is the glue that holds epithelial cells together. Loss of E-cadherin leads to a growth pattern that can be diffuse and highly invasive through the breast tissue. This leads to a number of important clinical challenges with diagnosing and managing this cancer: the cancer can be hard to palpate or detect by mammographic screening and hard to fully excise during surgery; if the cancer spreads it can again be hard to detect. A large component of Peter's research focuses on aspects of this specific cancer subtype, including understanding molecular determinants that predict tumour behaviour and prognosis, and mechanisms of invasion and metastasis.

  • Familial Breast Cancer

    Family history is a significant risk factor for the development of breast cancer, often leading to early diagnosis of disease. For some families, the genetic component of this risk is well understood and attributed to pathogenic germline variants in moderate-high risk genes (e.g. BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, TP53, ATM, CHEK2). For many families the underlying genetic risk is unknown. Further, some individuals develop breast cancer at a young age when they have no family history. We study clinical samples using a variety of molecular profiling techniques, including whole genome sequencing and digital spatial transcriptomics, and we are interested in understanding the germline and somatic molecular mechanism that contribute to the development of disease. This work is a collaboration with several tissue banks: kConFab, the BBB and the Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank.

  • Lung Cancer Diagnostics

    Lung Cancer has the highest mortality of all cancers. Most cases are diagnosed at an advance, inoperable stage and so are associated with a poor prognosis. Endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) sampling is an important procedure to make a tissue diagnosis of disease and to provide specimens for molecular testing. Next generation sequencing is an important component of diagnostic practice and therapeutic decision making for lung cancer patients. Our program of work is focused on optimising molecular testing strategies from different types of cancer samples (tissue, supernatant, cfDNA) to improve the success of testing for patients. This is a collaboration with A/Prof David Fielding (https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/9060) from the Department of Thoracic Medicine (RBWH), plus colleagues from Pathology Queensland, QIMR Berghofer and a network of hospitals around Australia.

Research impacts

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women worldwide and consequently is the biggest contributor to morbidity and mortality from cancer.

My work in the field of breast cancer genomics has sought to unravel molecular mechanisms driving the evolution of disease, from early lesions through to treatment resistance and metastatic progression. Our work uses various types of ‘omics applications, including whole genome sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, married with detailed cancer morphology assessment. Gene mutations and mutational signature analysis in the context of sporadic and familial breast cancer has revealed pathogenic germline mutations, different mechanisms of genomic evolution and clonal heterogeneity. The work through the International Cancer Genome Consortium contributed to the development of HRDetect (Nature Medicine) for therapeutic decision making.

My work in lobular breast cancer has an international standing. As a research community, we aim to raise the profile of lobular breast cancer as an important, common and yet understudied type of breast cancer. We have demonstrated this disease is in fact a heterogenous subtype, exhibiting morphological variants and diverse genomic features. We developed LobSig as a potential prognostic tool for lobular breast cancer, which is undergoing further validation. We have a program of work to better understand the biology of disease and identify tissue- and blood-based biomarkers of disease progression.

Lung cancer is the highest mortality rate of all cancers worldwide. The Debutant lung cancer clinical research program was established in 2018 and has sought to optimise and expand lung cancer molecular testing applications. The work has been funded by various sources, including Pathology Queensland, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital Foundation, Cancer Council Qld, Cancer Australia, Australian Genomics and the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). The work has demonstrated the clinical utility of very small cytology samples and blood (cfDNA) samples using comprehensive genomic assays. The translation of results from this Program could significantly enhance the number of patients eligible for targeted therapies.

Search Professor Peter Simpson’s works on UQ eSpace

218 works between 2003 and 2026
All (218) Journal Article (159) Book Chapter (15) Conference Publication (43) Other Outputs (1)

201 - 218 of 218 works

2006

Journal Article

Expression profiling using cDNA microarrays

Jones, Chris, Simpson, Peter, Mackay, Alan and Lakhani, Sunil R (2006). Expression profiling using cDNA microarrays. Methods in molecular medicine, 120, 403-414.

Expression profiling using cDNA microarrays

2006

Conference Publication

EGFR amplification and lack of activating mutations in metaplastic breast carcinomas

Reis, JS, Pinheiro, C, Lambros, MBK, Milanezi, F, Carvalho, S, Savage, K, Simpson, PT, Jones, C, Swift, S, Mackay, A, Reis, RM, Hornick, JL, Pereira, EM, Baltazar, F, Fletcher, CDM, Ashworth, A, Lakhani, SR and Schmitt, FC (2006). EGFR amplification and lack of activating mutations in metaplastic breast carcinomas. 190th Meeting of the Pathological-Society-of-Great-Britain-and-Ireland, Manchester England, Jul 04-07, 2006.

EGFR amplification and lack of activating mutations in metaplastic breast carcinomas

2006

Book Chapter

Expression profiling using cDNA microarrays

Jones, Chris, Simpson, Peter, Mackay, Alan and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2006). Expression profiling using cDNA microarrays. Breast cancer research protocols. (pp. 403-414) edited by Susan A. Brooks and Adrian Harris. Totowa, NJ, U.S.A.: Humana Press. doi: 10.1385/1-59259-969-9:403

Expression profiling using cDNA microarrays

2006

Book Chapter

Gene expression analysis using filter cDNA microarrays

Simpson, Peter, Jones, Chris, Mackay, Alan and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2006). Gene expression analysis using filter cDNA microarrays. Breast cancer research protocols. (pp. 415-424) edited by Susan A. Brooks and Adrian Harris. Totowa, USA: Humana Press.

Gene expression analysis using filter cDNA microarrays

2006

Journal Article

Metaplastic breast carcinomas are basal-like tumours

Reis-Filho, J. S., Milanezi, F., Steele, D., Savage, K., Simpson, P. T., Nesland, J. M., Pereira, E. M., Lakhani, S. R. and Schmitt, F. C. (2006). Metaplastic breast carcinomas are basal-like tumours. Histopathology, 49 (1), 10-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2006.02467.x

Metaplastic breast carcinomas are basal-like tumours

2006

Conference Publication

Unlocking pathology archives for molecular genetic studies: A reliable method to generate probes for chromogenic and fluorescent in situ hybridisation

Lambros, M. B. K., Simpson, P. T., Jones, C., Natrajan, R., Westbury, C., Steele, D., Savage, K., MacKay, A., Schmitt, F. C., Ashworth, A. and Reis-Filho, J. S. (2006). Unlocking pathology archives for molecular genetic studies: A reliable method to generate probes for chromogenic and fluorescent in situ hybridisation. 26th International Congress of the International Academy of Pathology, Montreal, Canada, 16-21 September 2006. Nature Publishing Group.

Unlocking pathology archives for molecular genetic studies: A reliable method to generate probes for chromogenic and fluorescent in situ hybridisation

2006

Journal Article

Gene expression analysis using filter cDNA microarrays

Simpson, Peter, Jones, Chris, Mackay, Alan and Lakhani, Sunil R (2006). Gene expression analysis using filter cDNA microarrays. Methods in molecular medicine, 120, 415-424.

Gene expression analysis using filter cDNA microarrays

2005

Journal Article

The molecular genetics of breast cancer: The contribution of comparative genomic hybridization

Reis-Filho, Jorge S., Simpson, Peter T., Gale, Theodora and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2005). The molecular genetics of breast cancer: The contribution of comparative genomic hybridization. Pathology Research & Practice, 201 (11), 713-725. doi: 10.1016/j.prp.2005.05.013

The molecular genetics of breast cancer: The contribution of comparative genomic hybridization

2005

Journal Article

Columnar cell lesions of the breast: The missing link in breast cancer progression? A morphological and molecular analysis

Simpson, P. T., Gale, T., Reis-Filho, J. S., Jones, C., Parry, S., Sloane, J. P., Hanby, A., Pinder, S. E., Lee, A. H. S., Humphreys, S., Ellis, I. O. and Lakhani, S. R. (2005). Columnar cell lesions of the breast: The missing link in breast cancer progression? A morphological and molecular analysis. American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 29 (6), 734-746. doi: 10.1097/01.pas.0000157295.93914.3b

Columnar cell lesions of the breast: The missing link in breast cancer progression? A morphological and molecular analysis

2005

Journal Article

Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma of the breast: role of comprehensive molecular pathology in characterization of an entity

Reis-Filho, J. S., Simpson, P. T., Jones, C., Steele, D., Mackay, A., Iravani, M., Fenwick, K., Valgeirrson, H., Lambros, M., Ashworth, A., Palacios, J., Schmitt, F. and Lakhani, S. R. (2005). Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma of the breast: role of comprehensive molecular pathology in characterization of an entity. Journal of Pathology, 207 (1), 1-13. doi: 10.1002/path.1806

Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma of the breast: role of comprehensive molecular pathology in characterization of an entity

2005

Journal Article

Metaplastic breast carcinomas exhibit EGFR, but not HER2, gene amplification and overexpression: Immunohistochemical and chromogenic in situ hybridization analysis

Reis-Filho, Jorge S., Milanezi, Fernanda, Carvalho, Silvia, Simpson, Peter T., Steele, Dawn, Savage, Kay, Lambros, Maryou B. K., Pereira, Emilio M., Nesland, John M., Lakhani, Sunil R. and Schmitt, Fernando C. (2005). Metaplastic breast carcinomas exhibit EGFR, but not HER2, gene amplification and overexpression: Immunohistochemical and chromogenic in situ hybridization analysis. Breast Cancer Research, 7 (6) R1028, R1028-R1035. doi: 10.1186/bcr1341

Metaplastic breast carcinomas exhibit EGFR, but not HER2, gene amplification and overexpression: Immunohistochemical and chromogenic in situ hybridization analysis

2005

Journal Article

Molecular evolution of breast cancer

Simpson, P. T., Reis-Filho, J. S., Gale, T. and Lakhani, S. R. (2005). Molecular evolution of breast cancer. Journal of Pathology, 205 (2), 248-254. doi: 10.1002/path.1691

Molecular evolution of breast cancer

2004

Journal Article

Distribution and significance of 14-3-3 sigma, a novel myoepithelial marker, in normal, benign, and malignant breast tissue

Simpson, Peter T., Gale, Theodora, Reis-Filho, Jorge S, Jones, Chris, Parry, Suzanne, Steele, Dawn, Cossu, Antonio, Budroni, Mario, Palmieri, Giuseppe and Lakhani, Sunil R (2004). Distribution and significance of 14-3-3 sigma, a novel myoepithelial marker, in normal, benign, and malignant breast tissue. Journal of Pathology, 202 (3), 274-285. doi: 10.1002/path.1530

Distribution and significance of 14-3-3 sigma, a novel myoepithelial marker, in normal, benign, and malignant breast tissue

2003

Journal Article

Distribution of p63, cytokeratins 5/6 and cytokeratin 14 in 51 normal and 400 neoplastic human tissue samples using TARP-4 multi-tumor tissue microarray

Reis, J. S., Simpson, P. T., Martins, A., Preto, A., Gartner, F. and Schmitt, F. C. (2003). Distribution of p63, cytokeratins 5/6 and cytokeratin 14 in 51 normal and 400 neoplastic human tissue samples using TARP-4 multi-tumor tissue microarray. Virchows Archiv, 443 (2), 122-132. doi: 10.1007/s00428-003-0859-2

Distribution of p63, cytokeratins 5/6 and cytokeratin 14 in 51 normal and 400 neoplastic human tissue samples using TARP-4 multi-tumor tissue microarray

2003

Journal Article

Examination of tumour histopathology and gene expression in a neu/S100A4 transgenic model of metastatic breast cancer

Simpson, PT, Shoker, BS, Barraclough, R, Halliwell, N, Rudland, PS, Sibson, DR and Davies, MPA (2003). Examination of tumour histopathology and gene expression in a neu/S100A4 transgenic model of metastatic breast cancer. International Journal of Experimental Pathology, 84 (4), 173-183. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2613.2003.00350.x

Examination of tumour histopathology and gene expression in a neu/S100A4 transgenic model of metastatic breast cancer

2003

Journal Article

Pathology of atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ

Simpson, Peter T., Gale, Theodora, Fulford, Laura G., Reis-Filho, Jorge S. and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2003). Pathology of atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ. Breast Cancer Research, 5 (5), 258-262. doi: 10.1186/bcr624

Pathology of atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ

2003

Journal Article

p63-driven nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin is not a frequent event in human neoplasms

Reis, Jorge S., Simpson, Pete T., Fulford, Laura G., Martins, Albino and Schmitt, Fernando C. (2003). p63-driven nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin is not a frequent event in human neoplasms. Pathology Research and Practice, 199 (12), 785-793. doi: 10.1078/0344-0338-00497

p63-driven nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin is not a frequent event in human neoplasms

2003

Journal Article

cDNA microarray analysis of genes associated with ERBB2 (HER2/neu) overexpression in human mammary luminal epithelial cells

Mackay, A., Jones, C., Dexter, T., Silva, R. L. A., Bulmer, K., Jones, A., Simpson, P., Harris, R. A., Jat, P. S., Neville, A. M., Reis, L. F. L., Lakhani, S. R. and O'Hare, M. J. (2003). cDNA microarray analysis of genes associated with ERBB2 (HER2/neu) overexpression in human mammary luminal epithelial cells. Oncogene, 22 (17), 2680-2688. doi: 10.1038/sj.onc.1206349

cDNA microarray analysis of genes associated with ERBB2 (HER2/neu) overexpression in human mammary luminal epithelial cells

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2028
    Reducing invasive lobular carcinoma mortality by enhanced liquid biopsy monitoring
    NHMRC MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2026
    Prognostic biomarkers in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
    Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2028
    kConFab. The Kathleen Cuningham Foundation Consortium for Research into Familial Breast Cancer (National Breast Cancer Foundation grant administered by University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    The molecular basis of breast cancer in young women
    National Breast Cancer Foundation Investigator Initiated Research Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2025
    Improving genomic testing rates for inoperable lung cancer patients
    NHMRC MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    Whole Genome Sequencing in high-risk breast cancer patients.
    MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission, Project Grant administered by AusIndustry
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    High-resolution investigation of pre- and post-neoadjuvant treatment breast cancers
    National Breast Cancer Foundation Investigator Initiated Research Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2024
    Improving the clinical management of familial breast cancers with genomics
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Streamlining lung cancer diagnosis through genomic testing of cytology smears
    Cancer Australia
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2020
    Streamlining lung cancer diagnosis through genomic testing of cytology smears
    Cancer Council Queensland
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2020
    Targeting ACC1 as a novel therapeutic for the treatment of breast cancer (Cancer Australia grant administered by The University of Sydney)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2021
    Preparing Australia for Genomic Medicine: A proposal by the Australian Genomics Health Alliance (NHMRC Targeted Call for Research administered by Murdoch Children's Research Institute)
    Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    Extending the strategic importance of the Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank to facilitate breast cancer research (NBCF Infrastructure Grant administered by The University of Newcastle)
    University of Newcastle
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    Unravelling clinical and molecular heterogeneity in metaplastic breast cancer - a unique 'stem cell like' malignancy (grant administered by Cancer Australia)
    National Breast Cancer Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    Defining the genomic and therapeutic landscape of familial breast cancer
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Using somatic copy number and methylation profiling of circulating tumour DNA to monitor heterogeneous tumour development in breast cancer
    Cancer Council Queensland
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    The Brisbane Breast Bank
    Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    (Dys)Regulating junctional tension: a novel mechanism in tumor cell biology
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Prospective study of breast cancer progression by content analysis of circulating exosomes in serially collected blood samples
    Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2015
    Margaret Taylor Scholarship for Breast Cancer Research
    Research Donation Generic
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2015
    A systems biology approach to defining therapeutic targets in breast cancer
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Defining therapeutic options for brain metastases
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Re-defining the molecular evolution of breast cancer and its precursors
    Cancer Council Queensland
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Tandem fluorescent and phase-contrast imaging of live cells in real time for application to cancer cell biology, developmental biology, respiratory biology, wound healing investigation and cellular to
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Understanding the heterogeneity of invasive ductal breast cancers - a proteomic approach for the discovery of biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets (NBCF administered through QUT)
    Queensland University of Technology
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2014
    NBCF Early Career Fellowship: Invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast: delineating mechanisms of behaviour and improving outcome
    National Breast Cancer Foundation Early Career Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2012
    Improving the outcome of patients with invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast
    Cancer Council Queensland
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2012
    Calcium Influx Pathways and Breast Cancer
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Investigating the metastatic spread of lobular breast cancer
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2010
    Molecular Profiling of Breast Tumour Stem/Progenitor Cells
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Peter Simpson is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

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