Overview
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
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Liverpool
Research interests
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Works
Search Professor Peter Simpson’s works on UQ eSpace
2019
Journal Article
Diff-Quik cytology smears from endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration lymph node specimens as a source of DNA for next-generation sequencing instead of cell blocks
Fielding, David, Dalley, Andrew J., Bashirzadeh, Farzad, Singh, Mahendra, Nandakumar, Lakshmy, McCart Reed, Amy E., Black, Debra, Kazakoff, Stephen, Pearson, John V., Nones, Katia, Waddell, Nicola, Lakhani, Sunil R. and Simpson, Peter T. (2019). Diff-Quik cytology smears from endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration lymph node specimens as a source of DNA for next-generation sequencing instead of cell blocks. Respiration, 97 (6), 1-14. doi: 10.1159/000495661
2019
Journal Article
Phenotypic and molecular dissection of Metaplastic Breast Cancer and the prognostic implications
McCart Reed, Amy Ellen, Kalaw, Emarene, Nones, Katia, Bettington, Mark, Lim, Malcolm, Bennett, James, Johnstone, Kate, Kutasovic, Jamie Rose, Saunus, Jodi Marie, Kazakoff, Stephen, Xu, Qinying, Wood, Scott, Holmes, Oliver, Leonard, Conrad, Reid, Lynne Estelle, Black, Debra, Niland, Colleen, Ferguson, Kaltin, Gresshoff, Irma, Raghavendra, Ashwini, Harvey, Kate, Cooper, Caroline, Liu, Cheng, Kalinowski, Lauren, Reid, Andrew Scott, Davidson, Morgan, Pearson, John V, Pathmanathan, Nirmala, Tse, Gary ... Lakhani, Sunil R. (2019). Phenotypic and molecular dissection of Metaplastic Breast Cancer and the prognostic implications. Journal of Pathology, 247 (2), 214-227. doi: 10.1002/path.5184
2019
Conference Publication
Dissecting the heterogeneity of metaplastic breast cancer: a morphological, immunohistochemical and genomic analysis of a large cohort
Reed, A. E. McCart, Kalaw, E., Nones, K., Bettington, M., Lim, M., Bennett, J., Johnstone, K., Kutasovic, J. R., Kazakoff, S., Xu, Q. C., Saunus, J. M., Reid, L. E., Black, D., Niland, C., Ferguson, K., Gresshoff, I., Raghavendra, A., Liu, J. C., Kalinowski, L., Reid, A. S., Davidson, M., Pearson, J. V., Yamaguchi, R., Harris, G., Tse, G., Papadimos, D., Pathmanathan, R., Pathmanathan, N., Tan, P. H. ... Lakhani, S. R. (2019). Dissecting the heterogeneity of metaplastic breast cancer: a morphological, immunohistochemical and genomic analysis of a large cohort. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, San Antonio, TX, United States, 4-8 December 2018. Philadelphia, PA, United States: American Association for Cancer Research. doi: 10.1158/1538-7445.SABCS18-P3-08-03
2019
Journal Article
Breast cancer metastasis to gynaecological organs: a clinico‐pathological and molecular profiling study
Kutasovic, Jamie R., McCart Reed, Amy E., Males, Renique, Sim, Sarah, Saunus, Jodi M., Dalley, Andrew, McEvoy, Christopher R., Dedina, Liana, Miller, Gregory, Peyton, Stephen, Reid, Lynne, Lal, Samir, Niland, Colleen, Ferguson, Kaltin, Fellowes, Andrew P., Al-Ejeh, Fares, Lakhani, Sunil R., Cummings, Margaret C. and Simpson, Peter T. (2019). Breast cancer metastasis to gynaecological organs: a clinico‐pathological and molecular profiling study. The Journal of Pathology: Clinical Research, 5 (1), 25-39. doi: 10.1002/cjp2.118
2019
Conference Publication
Using whole genome sequencing and somatic mutation signatures to unravel insight into familial breast cancer aetiology
Simpson, P., Nones, K., Johnson, J., Newell, F., Patch, A-M, Thorne, H., Kazakoff, S., De Luca, X., Parsons, M., Ferguson, K., Reid, L., Reed, A. McCart, Srihari, S., Lakis, V., Davidson, A., Mukhopadhyay, P., Holmes, O., Xu, Q., Wood, S., Leonard, C., Beasley, J., Degasperi, A., Nik-Zainal, S., Ragan, M., Spurdle, A., Khanna, K. K., Lakhani, S., Pearson, J., Chenevix-Trench, G. and Waddell, N. (2019). Using whole genome sequencing and somatic mutation signatures to unravel insight into familial breast cancer aetiology. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, San Antonio, TX, United States, 4-8 December 2018. Philadelphia, PA, United States: American Association for Cancer Research. doi: 10.1158/1538-7445.SABCS18-P5-10-01
2019
Book Chapter
Atypical lobular hyperplasia
Chen, Y.Y., Decker, T., King, T.A., Palacios, J., Reis-Filho, J.S., Shin, S.J. and Simpson, P.T. (2019). Atypical lobular hyperplasia. WHO classification of tumours: breast tumours. (pp. 68-70) Lyon, France: International Agency for Research and Cancer (IARC).
2019
Conference Publication
LobSig, a prognostic signature for Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
McCart Reed, Amy E., Lal, Samir, Kutasovic, Jamie R., Wockner, Leesa, Robertson, Alan, de Croft, Priyakshi Kalıta, Dalley, Andrew, Coorey, Craig P., Kuo, Luyu, Ferguson, Kaltin, Niland, Colleen, Miller, Gregory, Johnson, Julie, Reid, Lynne E., Males, Renique, Saunus, Jodi M., Chenevix-Trench, Georgia, Coin, Lachlan, Lakhani, Sunil R. and Simpson, Peter T. (2019). LobSig, a prognostic signature for Invasive Lobular Carcinoma. 7th International PacRim Breast and Prostate Cancer Meeting, Barossa Novotel, South Australia, Australia, 17-20 March 2019.
2019
Book Chapter
lobular carcinoma in situ
Chen, Y.Y., Decker, T., King, T.A., Palacios, J., Reis-Filho, J.S., Shin, S.J. and Simpson, P.T. (2019). lobular carcinoma in situ. WHO classification of tumours: breast tumours. (pp. 71-74) Lyon, France: International Agency for Research and Cancer (IARC).
2018
Journal Article
Heritable DNA methylation marks associated with susceptibility to breast cancer
Joo, Jihoon E., Dowty, James G., Milne, Roger L., Wong, Ee Ming, Dugué, Pierre-Antoine, English, Dallas, Hopper, John L., Goldgar, David E., Giles, Graham G., Southey, Melissa C., kConFab, Sexton, Adrienne, Christian, Alice, Trainer, Alison, Spigelman, Allan, Fellows, Andrew, Shelling, Andrew, De Fazio, Anna, Blackburn, Anneke, Crook, Ashley, Meiser, Bettina, Patterson, Briony, Clarke, Christine, Saunders, Christobel, Hunt, Clare, Scott, Clare, Amor, David, Marsh, Deborah, Edkins, Edward ... Antill, Yoland (2018). Heritable DNA methylation marks associated with susceptibility to breast cancer. Nature Communications, 9 (1) 867. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03058-6
2018
Journal Article
Mutational mechanisms of amplifications revealed by analysis of clustered rearrangements in breast cancers
Głodzik, D, Purdie, C, Rye, I Hansine, Simpson, P, Staaf, J, Span, P N, Russnes, H and Nik-Zainal, S (2018). Mutational mechanisms of amplifications revealed by analysis of clustered rearrangements in breast cancers. Annals of Oncology, 29 (11), 2223-2231. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdy404
2018
Journal Article
Thioredoxin-interacting protein is an independent risk stratifier for breast ductal carcinoma in situ
Miligy, Islam M., Gorringe, Kylie L., Toss, Michael S., Al-Kawaz, Abdulbaqi A., Simpson, Peter, Diez-Rodriguez, Maria, Nolan, Christopher C., Ellis, Ian O., Green, Andrew R. and Rakha, Emad A. (2018). Thioredoxin-interacting protein is an independent risk stratifier for breast ductal carcinoma in situ. Modern Pathology, 31 (12), 1-9. doi: 10.1038/s41379-018-0086-7
2018
Journal Article
Mixed ductal-lobular carcinomas: evidence for progression from ductal to lobular morphology
McCart Reed, Amy E., Kutasovic, Jamie R., Nones, Katia, Saunus, Jodi M., Da Silva, Leonard, Newell, Felicity, Kazakoff, Stephen, Melville, Lewis, Jayanthan, Janani, Vargas, Ana Cristina, Reid, Lynne E., Beesley, Jonathan, Chen, Xiao Qing, Patch, Anne Marie, David Clouston, D., Porter, Alan, Evans, Elizabeth, Pearson, John V., Chenevix-Trench, Georgia, Cummings, Margaret C., Waddell, Nic, Lakhani, Sunil R. and Simpson, Peter T. (2018). Mixed ductal-lobular carcinomas: evidence for progression from ductal to lobular morphology. The Journal of Pathology, 244 (4), 460-468. doi: 10.1002/path.5040
2018
Journal Article
Characterization of a novel breast cancer cell line derived from a metastatic bone lesion of a breast cancer patient
Johnson, Julie, Bessette, Darrell C., Saunus, Jodi M., Smart, Chanel E., Song, Sarah, Johnston, Rebecca L., Cocciardi, Sibylle, Rozali, Esdy N., Johnstone, Cameron N., Vargas, Ana Christina, Kazakoff, Stephen H., BioBank, Victorian Cancer, Khanna, Kum Kum, Lakhani, Sunil R., Chenevix-Trench, Georgia, Simpson, Peter T., Nones, Katia, Waddell, Nicola and Al-Ejeh, Fares (2018). Characterization of a novel breast cancer cell line derived from a metastatic bone lesion of a breast cancer patient. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 170 (1), 179-188. doi: 10.1007/s10549-018-4719-9
2018
Journal Article
Expression of MAGE-A and NY-ESO-1 cancer-testis antigens is enriched in triple-negative invasive breast cancers
Raghavendra, Ashwini, Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Vargas, Ana Cristina, Smart, Chanel E., Simpson, Peter T., Saunus, Jodi M. and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2018). Expression of MAGE-A and NY-ESO-1 cancer-testis antigens is enriched in triple-negative invasive breast cancers. Histopathology, 73 (1), 68-80. doi: 10.1111/his.13498
2018
Conference Publication
Expression of ARGLU and FBXL3 is highly prognostic for invasive lobular carcinoma
Coorey, Craig, Lal, Samir, Kutasovic, Jamie, Niland, Colleen, Ferguson, Kaltin, Kuo, Lu Yu, Reid, Lynne, Evans, Elizabeth, Porter, Alan, Lakhani, Sunil, McCart Reed, Amy and Simpson, Peter (2018). Expression of ARGLU and FBXL3 is highly prognostic for invasive lobular carcinoma. Pathology Update 2018, Sydney, NSW Australia, 2-4 March 2018. London, United Kingdom: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. doi: 10.1016/j.pathol.2017.12.166
2018
Journal Article
The Brisbane Breast Bank
McCart Reed, Amy E., Saunus, Jodi M., Ferguson, Kaltin, Niland, Colleen, Simpson, Peter T. and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2018). The Brisbane Breast Bank. Open Journal of Bioresources, 5 (5). doi: 10.5334/ojb.33
2018
Journal Article
Corrigendum to "Molecular signatures in breast cancer" [Methods 131 (2017) 135-146]
Lal, Samir, McCart Reed, Amy E., de Luca, Xavier M. and Simpson, Peter T. (2018). Corrigendum to "Molecular signatures in breast cancer" [Methods 131 (2017) 135-146]. Methods, 164-165, 120-120. doi: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2018.01.007
2017
Journal Article
Molecular signatures in breast cancer
Lal, Samir, McCart Reed, Amy E., de Luca, Xavier M. and Simpson, Peter T. (2017). Molecular signatures in breast cancer. Methods, 131, 135-146. doi: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2017.06.032
2017
Journal Article
Multidimensional phenotyping of breast cancer cell lines to guide preclinical research
Saunus, Jodi M., Smart, Chanel E., Kutasovic, Jamie R., Johnston, Rebecca L., Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Miranda, Mariska, Rozali, Esdy N., Vargas, Ana Cristina, Reid, Lynne E., Lorsy, Eva, Cocciardi, Sibylle, Seidens, Tatjana, McCart Reed, Amy E., Dalley, Andrew J., Wockner, Leesa F., Johnson, Julie, Sarkar, Debina, Askarian-Amiri, Marjan E., Simpson, Peter T., Khanna, Kum Kum, Chenevix-Trench, Georgia, Al-Ejeh, Fares and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2017). Multidimensional phenotyping of breast cancer cell lines to guide preclinical research. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 167 (1), 1-13. doi: 10.1007/s10549-017-4496-x
2017
Journal Article
Next-generation sequencing of endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration specimens in lung cancer
Fielding, David, Dalley, Andrew J., Bashirzadeh, Farzad, Singh, Mahendra, Nandakumar, Lakshmy, Reed, Amy E. McCart, Black, Debra, Kazakoff, Stephen, Nones, Katia, Pearson, John, Waddell, Nic, Lakhani, Sunil R. and Simpson, Peter T. (2017). Next-generation sequencing of endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration specimens in lung cancer. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 196 (3), 388-391. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201609-1935LE
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Peter Simpson is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Spatial molecular profiling of Mixed invasive ductal-lobular breast cancers
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Amy McCart Reed
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Doctor Philosophy
Developing optimal transport models for spatial and single cell data to understand cancer progression
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jessica Mar, Dr Quan Nguyen
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Doctor Philosophy
Circulating biomarkers in invasive lobular breast carcinoma
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Sunil Lakhani, Dr Kate Beecher Matthews, Associate Professor Amy McCart Reed
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Doctor Philosophy
Investigating therapeutic vulnerabilities in breast cancer.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Sunil Lakhani, Associate Professor Amy McCart Reed
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Doctor Philosophy
Breast cancer metastasis prediction via machine learning and spatial cellular pathology
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nan Ye, Dr Quan Nguyen
Completed supervision
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
Studies on the utility of Endobronchial Ultrasound Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (EBUS TBNA) samples in novel investigations of lung cancer genomics, and immune responses
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Sunil Lakhani
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Multi-omics: Leveraging omics data integration to identify dysregulated biology in breast cancer
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Amy McCart Reed, Dr Katia Nones
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Genomic and transcriptomic biomarkers of prognosis in invasive lobular breast cancer.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Amy McCart Reed, Professor Sunil Lakhani
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Intratumour heterogeneity in the development and progression of breast cancer
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Amy McCart Reed, Professor Sunil Lakhani
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2025
Master Philosophy
Applications of Molecular Genetics in Translational Breast Cancer Research
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Amy McCart Reed, Professor Sunil Lakhani
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Computational analysis of DNA repair pathways in breast cancer
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Kum Kum Khanna
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Identification of new prognostic biomarker for triple negative breast cancer
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jodi Saunus, Professor Sunil Lakhani
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Clinical-Pathological and Molecular Analysis to Understand Breast Cancer Progression
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Sunil Lakhani
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
A Search For Novel Cancer Susceptibility Genes
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Sunil Lakhani, Professor Melissa Brown
Media
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