Overview
Background
Dr Melanie Robitaille is a Senior Research Fellow working with the Calcium Signalling in Therapeutics Team (CaSTT) in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. This team specializes in the development and application of novel methodologies and cellular assays in drug discovery, including the use of genetically encoded indicator for high-content imaging in live cells.
Her interests are to elucidate how calcium signals are remodelled in disease states, to identify calcium transporters as new therapeutic targets and to develop molecular and cellular screening tools to be used in drug development programs. She has an established profile in cellular and molecular biology, with high expertise in plasmid cloning, lentiviral transduction and the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to modulate gene expression.
Availability
- Dr Melanie Robitaille is:
- Not available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Université de Montréal
Works
Search Professor Melanie Robitaille’s works on UQ eSpace
2021
Conference Publication
ORAI1-dependant IL6 Gene Regulation via Store-operated Calcium Entry in Triple-negative Breast Cancer
Chan, Shao Ming, Robitaille, Mélanie, Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2021). ORAI1-dependant IL6 Gene Regulation via Store-operated Calcium Entry in Triple-negative Breast Cancer. AuPS Meeting, Gold Coast, QLD Australia, 21-24 November 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
CRISPR/Cas9 and lentiviral rescue methods to study ORAI1 function in transcription activation
Robitaille, Mélanie, Chan, Shao Ming, Peters, Amelia A., Dai, Limin, Bong, Alice H.L., Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2021). CRISPR/Cas9 and lentiviral rescue methods to study ORAI1 function in transcription activation. AuPS Meeting, Gold Coast, QLD Australia, 21-24 November 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
MetaXpress analysis – Ca2+, transcription factors and using IF after live imaging
Sadras, Francisco, So, Choon Leng, Robitaille, Melanie, Roberts-Thomson, Sarah and Monteith, Gregory (2021). MetaXpress analysis – Ca2+, transcription factors and using IF after live imaging. High Content 2021 SBI2’s 8th Annual Conference, Online, 4-6 October 2021.
2021
Journal Article
Altered calcium influx pathways in cancer-associated fibroblasts
Sadras, Francisco, Stewart, Teneale A., Robitaille, Mélanie, Peters, Amelia A., Croft, Priyakshi Kalita-de, Soon, Patsy S., Saunus, Jodi M., Lakhani, Sunil R., Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2021). Altered calcium influx pathways in cancer-associated fibroblasts. Biomedicines, 9 (6) 680, 1-13. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9060680
2021
Conference Publication
High-throughput assessment of calcium signaling in MCF-7 breast cancer cells adopting various cellular geometry
So, Choon Leng, Sadras, Francisco, Robitaille, Melanie, Roberts-Thomson, Sarah and Monteith, Gregory (2021). High-throughput assessment of calcium signaling in MCF-7 breast cancer cells adopting various cellular geometry. SLAS 2021 Virtual Conference, Virtual, 25-27 January 2021.
2020
Journal Article
Activation of the ion channel TRPV4 induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells
Azimi, Iman, Robitaille, Mélanie, Armitage, Kaela, So, Choon Leng, Milevskiy, Michael J. G., Northwood, Korinne, Lim, Huai Fang, Thompson, Erik W., Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2020). Activation of the ion channel TRPV4 induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21 (24) 9417, 1-14. doi: 10.3390/ijms21249417
2020
Conference Publication
Matrix Stiffness effects on calcium signaling in GCaMP6m-MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells
So, Choon Leng, Meinert, Christoph, Robitaille, Melanie, Roberts-Thomson, Sarah and Monteith, Gregory (2020). Matrix Stiffness effects on calcium signaling in GCaMP6m-MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. 7th Society of Biomolecular Imaging and Informatics (SBI2) High Content Meeting, Virtual, 16-17 September 2020.
2020
Conference Publication
High-throughput assessment of calcium signalling in MDa-MB-231 breast cancer cells expressing the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6m and cultured in different matrix stiffness
So, Choon Leng, Meinert, Christoph, Robitaille, Melanie, Roberts-Thomson, Sarah and Monteith, Gregory (2020). High-throughput assessment of calcium signalling in MDa-MB-231 breast cancer cells expressing the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6m and cultured in different matrix stiffness. SLAS2020, San Diego, CA United States, 25-29 January 2020.
2020
Conference Publication
Remodelling of calcium influx pathways in breast cancer associated fibroblasts
Sadras, Francisco, Stewart, Teneale A., Robitaille, Melanie, Peters, Amelia A., Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Soon, Patsy, Saunus, Jodi M., Lakhani, Sunil R., Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2020). Remodelling of calcium influx pathways in breast cancer associated fibroblasts. 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, San Antonio, TX United States, 10-14 December 2019. Philadelphia, PA United States: American Association for Cancer Research. doi: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs19-p6-06-15
2019
Journal Article
NCS-1 expression is higher in basal breast cancers and regulates calcium influx and cytotoxic responses to doxorubicin
Bong, Alice H. L., Robitaille, Mélanie, Milevskiy, Michael J. G., Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2019). NCS-1 expression is higher in basal breast cancers and regulates calcium influx and cytotoxic responses to doxorubicin. Molecular Oncology, 14 (1) 1878-0261.12589, 87-104. doi: 10.1002/1878-0261.12589
2019
Journal Article
ARGLU1 is a transcriptional coactivator and splicing regulator important for stress hormone signaling and development
Magomedova, Lilia, Tiefenbach, Jens, Zilberman, Emma, Le Billan, Florian, Voisin, Veronique, Saikali, Michael, Boivin, Vincent, Robitaille, Melanie, Gueroussov, Serge, Irimia, Manuel, Ray, Debashish, Patel, Rucha, Xu, ChangJiang, Jeyasuria, Pancharatnam, Bader, Gary D, Hughes, Timothy R, Morris, Quaid D, Scott, Michelle S, Krause, Henry, Angers, Stephane, Blencowe, Benjamin J and Cummins, Carolyn L (2019). ARGLU1 is a transcriptional coactivator and splicing regulator important for stress hormone signaling and development. Nucleic Acids Research, 47 (6), 2856-2870. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkz010
2019
Journal Article
ORAI1 and ORAI3 in breast cancer molecular subtypes and the identification of ORAI3 as a hypoxia sensitive gene and a regulator of hypoxia responses
Azimi, Iman, Milevskiy, Michael J. G., Chalmers, Silke B., Yapa, Kunsala T. D. S., Robitaille, Mélanie, Henry, Christopher, Baillie, Gregory J., Thompson, Erik W., Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J and Monteith, Gregory R (2019). ORAI1 and ORAI3 in breast cancer molecular subtypes and the identification of ORAI3 as a hypoxia sensitive gene and a regulator of hypoxia responses. Cancers, 11 (2) 208, 208. doi: 10.3390/cancers11020208
2019
Conference Publication
A recently identified ion channel in breast cancer
Bong, Alice H. L., Robitaille, Mélanie, Milevskiy, Michael J. G., Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2019). A recently identified ion channel in breast cancer. AuPS/ASB Scientific meeting, Canberra, Australia, 1-4 December 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
Remodeling of calcium influx pathways in models of cancer associated fibroblasts in breast cancer
Monteith, Greg, Sadras, Francisco, Stewart, Teneale, Robitaille, Melanie, Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Soon, Patsy, Saunus, Jodi, Lakhani, Sunil and Roberts-Thomson, Sarah (2019). Remodeling of calcium influx pathways in models of cancer associated fibroblasts in breast cancer. AACR Annual Meeting on Bioinformatics, Convergence Science, and Systems Biology, Atlanta, GA United States, 29 March - 3 April 2019. Philadelphia, PA United States: American Association for Cancer Research. doi: 10.1158/1538-7445.SABCS18-99
2019
Conference Publication
Assessment of Ca2+ channels and pumps in brain-seeking breast cancer cell lines
Lim, Darren Z. R. , Chalmers, Silke B. , Robitaille, Melanie , Saunus, Jodi M. , Lakhani, Sunil R. , Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2019). Assessment of Ca2+ channels and pumps in brain-seeking breast cancer cell lines. ASCEPT-PAGANZ Joint Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, New Zealand, 25-29 November 2019. Hamilton Central, QLD, Australia: ASCEPT.
2018
Journal Article
A synthetic anti-Frizzled antibody engineered for broadened specificity exhibits enhanced anti-tumor properties
Pavlovic, Zvezdan, Adams, Jarrett J., Blazer, Levi L., Gakhal, Amandeep K., Jarvik, Nick, Steinhart, Zachary, Robitaille, Melanie, Mascall, Keith, Pan, James, Angers, Stephane, Moffat, Jason and Sidhu, Sachdev S. (2018). A synthetic anti-Frizzled antibody engineered for broadened specificity exhibits enhanced anti-tumor properties. mAbs, 10 (8), 1157-1167. doi: 10.1080/19420862.2018.1515565
2018
Journal Article
Assessment of cytosolic free calcium changes during ceramide-induced cell death in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells expressing the calcium sensor GCaMP6m
Bassett, John J., Bong, Alice H.L., Janke, Ellen K., Robitaille, Mélanie, Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J., Peters, Amelia A. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2018). Assessment of cytosolic free calcium changes during ceramide-induced cell death in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells expressing the calcium sensor GCaMP6m. Cell Calcium, 72, 39-50. doi: 10.1016/j.ceca.2018.02.003
2018
Conference Publication
Cancer associated fibroblasts undergo a calcium channel switch
Sadras, Francisco, Stewart, Teneale A., Robitaille, Melanie, Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Patsy, Soon, Saunus, Jodi M., Makhani, Sunil R., Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J. and Monteith, Gregory R. (2018). Cancer associated fibroblasts undergo a calcium channel switch. Australasian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 27 - 30 November 2018.
2018
Conference Publication
Expression of calcium pumps, channels and channel regulators in a model of therapy resistance in melanoma
Chua, Chia C., Hammerlinde, Heinz, Robitaille, Melanie, Roberts-Thomson, Sarah J., Schauder, Helmut and Monteith, Gregory R. (2018). Expression of calcium pumps, channels and channel regulators in a model of therapy resistance in melanoma. Australasian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists, Adelaide, SA Australia, 27 - 30 November 2018.
2017
Journal Article
Genome-wide CRISPR screens reveal a Wnt-FZD5 signaling circuit as a druggable vulnerability of RNF43-mutant pancreatic tumors
Steinhart, Zachary, Pavlovic, Zvezdan, Chandrashekhar, Megha, Hart, Traver, Wang, Xiaowei, Zhang, Xiaoyu, Robitaille, Melanie, Browne, Kevin R., Jaksani, Sridevi, Overmeer, Rene, Boj, Sylvia F., Adams, Jarrett, Pan, James, Clevers, Hans, Sidhu, Sachdev, Moffat, Jason and Angers, Stephane (2017). Genome-wide CRISPR screens reveal a Wnt-FZD5 signaling circuit as a druggable vulnerability of RNF43-mutant pancreatic tumors. Nature Medicine, 23 (1), 60-68. doi: 10.1038/nm.4219
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Melanie Robitaille is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
The intersection between calcium signaling and coronavirus infection
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gregory Monteith, Dr Larisa Labzin
-
Doctor Philosophy
Calcium-mediated Signaling Pathways in Breast Cancer
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gregory Monteith
-
Doctor Philosophy
Development of novel methods to identify calcium channels and pumps as drug targets in diseases.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gregory Monteith
-
Doctor Philosophy
Designing novel bivalent ligands that target the Kappa and nociceptin opioid receptors for reduced side effects
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Danial Saifuddin, Dr Rink-Jan Lohman, Professor Peter Cabot
-
Doctor Philosophy
Synthesis and characterisation of dynorphin and hemopressin analogues within novel bivalent constructs to target both CB1 and KOP receptors
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Rink-Jan Lohman, Dr Danial Saifuddin, Professor Peter Cabot
-
Doctor Philosophy
Mutation Targeting Therapy for Cancer with dCas9
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Joy Wolfram
-
Doctor Philosophy
Targeting peripheral mu and delta opioid receptors with bivalent opioid peptides for pain treatment
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ben Ross, Dr Danial Saifuddin, Professor Peter Cabot
Completed supervision
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Calcium signalling in the context of cell-in-cell structures in a model of entosis in breast cancer cells
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gregory Monteith
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Shape- and matrix-density mediated changes in calcium signalling in breast cancer cells
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gregory Monteith
Media
Enquiries
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