Honorary Professor John Hooper
Honorary Professor

John Hooper

Email: 

Background

1991-94 BSc Honours I (Chemistry) University of Queensland, University Medal

1995-99 PhD (Cancer Pathology) University of Queensland

1999-00 Post-Doctoral Fellow, Queensland University of Technology

2001-03 NHMRC CJ Martin/RG Menzies Fellow, Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, CA, USA

2003-05 NHMRC CJ Martin/RG Menzies Fellow, Queensland University of Technology

2005-09 NHMRC RD Wright Fellow, Queensland University of Technology

2010-15 Associate Professor, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland

2012-16 ARC Future Fellow, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland

2016- Professor of Cancer Biology, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland

Availability

Honorary Professor John Hooper is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Cancer cell biology Cancer diagnosis Cancer therapy (excl. chemotherapy and radiation therapy) Oncology and carcinogenesis

Research interests

  • Cancers of the urological system, gynaecological system and gastrointestinal tract

    Our focus is on the identification and evaluation of molecular targets and biomarkers of cancer. As much as possible our research employs disease relevant models that incorporate patient tumours. We have developed a successful R&D pipeline to identify cell surface receptors that are enriched in cancer for the purpose of targeting them for delivery of radiation and cytotoxins for cancer detection and treatment. This has culminated in a PET-CT imaging clinical trial evaluating a new radio-imaging agent to guide targeted therapy for ovarian and bladder cancer. My team is expert in generating and employing in vitro, ex vivo and mouse models of cancer, using patient specimens for much of this work. We have extensive experience in cell and molecular biology, protein analysis, including generation, purification and characterisation of recombinant proteins from insect and mammalian cells, enzymology, wide field fluorescent and confocal microscopy of live and fixed specimens, flow cytometry analysis and fluorescent activated cell sorting, bioluminescent and PET/CT imaging of mouse models of cancer, and histological and immunohistochemical analysis of mouse xenografts and patient tumours. We also have expertise in radio- and cytotoxin-labelling of biomolecules using these for detection and treatment of cancer in preclinical models. Our discovery and translational research activities are supported by close collaborations with medical specialists involved in treatment and diagnosis of cancer at Mater, Royal Brisbane and Women’s, Wesley, and Princess Alexandra Hospitals.

Research impacts

My major research contributions are in the identification and evaluation of molecular targets and biomarkers for cancers of the ovary, pancreas, prostate and bowel. At a molecular level my focus is on cell surface receptors, proteolytic enzymes, intracellular signal transducers, mediators of metabolism and protein post-translational modifications. Most recently we have developed a successful R&D pipeline to identify cell surface receptors that are enriched in cancer for the purpose of targeting them for delivery of radiation and cytotoxins for cancer detection and treatment. This has culminated in phase 1 PET-CT imaging clinical trials evaluating the safety and tumour/normal biodistribution of a new radio-imaging agent to guide targeted therapy for ovarian and bladder cancer. My team is expert in generating and employing in vitro, ex vivo and mouse models of cancer, using patient specimens for much of this work. We have extensive experience in cell and molecular biology, protein analysis, including generation, purification and characterisation of recombinant proteins from insect and mammalian cells, enzymology, wide field fluorescent and confocal microscopy of live and fixed specimens, flow cytometry analysis and fluorescent activated cell sorting, bioluminescent and PET/CT imaging of mouse models of cancer, and histological and immunohistochemical analysis of mouse xenografts and patient tumours. We also have expertise in radio- and cytotoxin-labelling of biomolecules using these for detection and treatment of cancer in preclinical models. Our discovery and translational research activities are supported by close collaborations with medical specialists involved in treatment and diagnosis of cancer at Mater, Royal Brisbane and Women’s, Wesley, and Princess Alexandra Hospitals. To date my research has attracted ~$17M in funding, producing 4 patents and 128 papers.

Search Professor John Hooper’s works on UQ eSpace

165 works between 1999 and 2025
All (165) Journal Article (123) Book Chapter (6) Conference Publication (34) Other Outputs (2)

1 - 20 of 165 works

2025

Journal Article

Antigen presentation potential is variable among human ovarian tumour and syngeneic murine models and dictates pre-clinical outcomes of immunotherapy

Alim, Louisa, Adityan, Siddharth, Chen, Rui, Neilson, Trent, Coleborn, Elaina, Wilkinson, Andrew N., He, Yaowu, Irgam, Gowri, Bhavsar, Chintan, Lourie, Rohan, Rogers, Rebecca, Cabraal, Nimithri, Jagasia, Nisha, Chetty, Naven, Perrin, Lewis, Hooper, John D., Steptoe, Raymond and Wu, Sherry Y. (2025). Antigen presentation potential is variable among human ovarian tumour and syngeneic murine models and dictates pre-clinical outcomes of immunotherapy. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 187 118141, 118141. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2025.118141

Antigen presentation potential is variable among human ovarian tumour and syngeneic murine models and dictates pre-clinical outcomes of immunotherapy

2025

Journal Article

Receptor CDCP1 is a potential target for personalized imaging and treatment of poor outcome HER2+, triple negative and metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancers

Gough, Madeline, Kwah, Kayden KX., Khan, Tashbib, Ghosh, Saikat, Sun, Biao, Lee, Catherine YJ., Sokolowski, Kamil A., Tse, Brian WC., Wickramasuriya, Lashith, Ferguson, Kaltin, Rogers, Rebecca, Goh, Justin B., Fletcher, Nicholas L., Houston, Zachary H., Thurecht, Kristofer J., Bray, Laura J., Liu, Cheng, Pyke, Christopher, Lim, Elgene, Snell, Cameron E., He, Yaowu, Hooper, John D. and Kryza, Thomas (2025). Receptor CDCP1 is a potential target for personalized imaging and treatment of poor outcome HER2+, triple negative and metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancers. Clinical Cancer Research, 31 (8), 1504-1519. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-24-2865

Receptor CDCP1 is a potential target for personalized imaging and treatment of poor outcome HER2+, triple negative and metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancers

2025

Journal Article

Highlights of 2024. Broadening anti‐cancer immunotherapy modalities with antibody–drug conjugates: emerging insights from clinical studies

Jose, Jiya, Hooper, John D and Souza‐Fonseca‐Guimaraes, Fernando (2025). Highlights of 2024. Broadening anti‐cancer immunotherapy modalities with antibody–drug conjugates: emerging insights from clinical studies. Immunology and Cell Biology. doi: 10.1111/imcb.70017

Highlights of 2024. Broadening anti‐cancer immunotherapy modalities with antibody–drug conjugates: emerging insights from clinical studies

2025

Journal Article

Extracellular vesicle miRNAs from three-dimensional ovarian cancer in vitro models and their implication in overall cancer survival

Godbole, Nihar, Lai, Andrew, Carrion, Flavio, Scholz-Romero, Katherin, Ravichandran, Akhilandeshwari, Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, McCart Reed, Amy E., Joshi, Vaibhavi, Lakhani, Sunil R., Masud, Mostafa Kamal, Yamauchi, Yusuke, Perrin, Lewis, Hooper, John, Bray, Laura, Guanzon, Dominic and Salomon, Carlos (2025). Extracellular vesicle miRNAs from three-dimensional ovarian cancer in vitro models and their implication in overall cancer survival. Heliyon, 11 (4) e42188, 1-19. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42188

Extracellular vesicle miRNAs from three-dimensional ovarian cancer in vitro models and their implication in overall cancer survival

2025

Journal Article

Development of a novel malignant colorectal polyp prognostic nomogram

Zammit, Andrew P., Aksoy, Yagiz Alp, Brown, Ian, Hooper, John D., Clark, David A., Fuchs, Talia L., Riddell, Andrew D. and Gill, Anthony J. (2025). Development of a novel malignant colorectal polyp prognostic nomogram. ANZ Journal of Surgery. doi: 10.1111/ans.19384

Development of a novel malignant colorectal polyp prognostic nomogram

2025

Journal Article

Aurora B inhibition induces hyper-polyploidy and loss of long-term proliferative potential in RB and p53 defective cells

Vora, Shivam, Chatterjee, Saptarshi, Andrew, Ariel, Kumar, Ramyashree Prasanna, Proctor, Martina, Zeng, Zhen, Bhatt, Rituparna, Nazareth, Deborah, Fernando, Madushan, Jones, Mathew J. K., He, Yaowu, Hooper, John D., McMillan, Nigel A. J., Urosevic, Jelena, Saeh, Jamal, Travers, Jon, Cimini, Daniela, Chen, Jing and Gabrielli, Brian (2025). Aurora B inhibition induces hyper-polyploidy and loss of long-term proliferative potential in RB and p53 defective cells. Cell Death & Disease, 16 (1) 7, 7-1. doi: 10.1038/s41419-024-07329-7

Aurora B inhibition induces hyper-polyploidy and loss of long-term proliferative potential in RB and p53 defective cells

2024

Journal Article

Aurora B inhibitors promote RB hypophosphorylation and senescence independent of p53-dependent CDK2/4 inhibition

Vora, Shivam, Andrew, Ariel, Kumar, Ramyashree Prasanna, Nazareth, Deborah, Bonfim-Melo, Alexis, Lim, Yoon, Ong, Xin Yee, Fernando, Madushan, He, Yaowu, Hooper, John D., McMillan, Nigel A. J., Urosevic, Jelena, Travers, Jon, Saeh, Jamal, Kumar, Sharad, Jones, Mathew J. K. and Gabrielli, Brian (2024). Aurora B inhibitors promote RB hypophosphorylation and senescence independent of p53-dependent CDK2/4 inhibition. Cell Death & Disease, 15 (11) 810, 810. doi: 10.1038/s41419-024-07204-5

Aurora B inhibitors promote RB hypophosphorylation and senescence independent of p53-dependent CDK2/4 inhibition

2024

Journal Article

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is overexpressed on both stromal and epithelial cells prior to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: implications for early diagnosis on 68Ga-FAPI-PET/CT

McGahan, William, Gough, Madeline, Liu, Cheng, Hoyte, Sharon, Gill, Anthony J., Cavallucci, David, Australian Pancreatic Cancer Genome Initiative, Hooper, John D., Thomas, Paul A., Cooper, Caroline, O'Rourke, Thomas, Butler, Nick, Yeung, Shinn, Kryza, Thomas, Gulhane, Brook, Latter, Melissa J., Waddell, Nicola, Samra, Jaswinder S., Simpson, Fiona and Pajic, Marina (2024). Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is overexpressed on both stromal and epithelial cells prior to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: implications for early diagnosis on 68Ga-FAPI-PET/CT. Gastroenterology, 167 (6), 1217-1220. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.06.033

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is overexpressed on both stromal and epithelial cells prior to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: implications for early diagnosis on 68Ga-FAPI-PET/CT

2024

Journal Article

Identification and characterization of TM4SF1+ tumor self-seeded cells

Yang, Haotian, Wang, Haolu, He, Yaowu, Yang, Yang, Thompson, Erik W., Xia, Di, Burke, Leslie J., Cao, Lu, Hooper, John D., Roberts, Michael S., Crawford, Darrell H.G. and Liang, Xiaowen (2024). Identification and characterization of TM4SF1+ tumor self-seeded cells. Cell Reports, 43 (7) 114512, 1-24. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114512

Identification and characterization of TM4SF1+ tumor self-seeded cells

2024

Conference Publication

O47 FAP expression transforms early in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; and can be detected on FAPI-PET/CT

McGahan, William, Gough, Madeleine, Liu, Cheng, Cavallucci, David, Thomas, Paul and Hooper, John (2024). O47 FAP expression transforms early in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; and can be detected on FAPI-PET/CT. BSG LIVE'24, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 17-20 June 2024. London, United Kingdom: BMJ Group. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2024-bsg.47

O47 FAP expression transforms early in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; and can be detected on FAPI-PET/CT

2024

Journal Article

High throughput surface epitope immunoaffinity isolation of extracellular vesicles and downstream analysis

Khanabdali, Ramin, Mandrekar, Michelle, Grygiel, Rick, Vo, Phuoc-an, Palma, Carlos, Nikseresht, Sara, Barton, Siena, Shojaee, Mozhgan, Bhuiyan, Sadman, Asari, Kartini, Belzer, Susan, Ansari, Khairul, Coward, Jermaine I., Perrin, Lewis, Hooper, John, Guanzon, Dominic, Lai, Andrew, Salomon, Carlos, Kershner, Kevin, Newton, Christine, Horejsh, Douglas and Rice, Gregory (2024). High throughput surface epitope immunoaffinity isolation of extracellular vesicles and downstream analysis. Biology Methods and Protocols, 9 (1) bpae032, bpae032. doi: 10.1093/biomethods/bpae032

High throughput surface epitope immunoaffinity isolation of extracellular vesicles and downstream analysis

2024

Journal Article

Estimation of risk posed by malignant polyps amongst colorectal surgeons in Australia and New Zealand

Zammit, Andrew P., Brown, Ian, Hooper, John D., Clark, David A. and Riddell, Andrew D. (2024). Estimation of risk posed by malignant polyps amongst colorectal surgeons in Australia and New Zealand. Annals of Coloproctology, 40 (1), 114-120. doi: 10.3393/ac.2023.00178.0025

Estimation of risk posed by malignant polyps amongst colorectal surgeons in Australia and New Zealand

2024

Conference Publication

Changes in extracellular vesicle miRNAs from three-dimensional ovarian cancer cell models reflect physiological changes and cancer survival

Godbole, Nihar, Ravichandran, Akhilandeshwari, Guanzon, Dominic, Lai, Andrew, Carrion, Flavio, de Croft, Priyakshi Kalita, Perrin, Lewis, Hooper, John, Bray, Laura and Salomon, Carlos (2024). Changes in extracellular vesicle miRNAs from three-dimensional ovarian cancer cell models reflect physiological changes and cancer survival. American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024, San Diego, CA United States, 5-10 April 2024. Philadelphia, PA United States: American Association for Cancer Research. doi: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2024-3386

Changes in extracellular vesicle miRNAs from three-dimensional ovarian cancer cell models reflect physiological changes and cancer survival

2024

Journal Article

Inhibition of Aurora B kinase (AURKB) enhances the effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy against colorectal cancer cells

Shah, Esha T., Molloy, Christopher, Gough, Madeline, Kryza, Thomas, Samuel, Selwin G., Tucker, Amos, Bhatia, Maneet, Ferguson, Genevieve, Heyman, Rebecca, Vora, Shivam, Monkman, James, Bolderson, Emma, Kulasinghe, Arutha, He, Yaowu, Gabrielli, Brian, Hooper, John D., Richard, Derek J., O’Byrne, Kenneth J. and Adams, Mark N. (2024). Inhibition of Aurora B kinase (AURKB) enhances the effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy against colorectal cancer cells. British Journal of Cancer, 130 (7), 1196-1205. doi: 10.1038/s41416-024-02584-z

Inhibition of Aurora B kinase (AURKB) enhances the effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy against colorectal cancer cells

2023

Journal Article

UGDH promotes tumor-initiating cells and a fibroinflammatory tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer

Harrington, Brittney S., Kamdar, Rahul, Ning, Franklin, Korrapati, Soumya, Caminear, Michael W., Hernandez, Lidia F., Butcher, Donna, Edmondson, Elijah F., Traficante, Nadia, Hendley, Joy, Gough, Madeline, Rogers, Rebecca, Lourie, Rohan, Shetty, Jyoti, Tran, Bao, Elloumi, Fathi, Abdelmaksoud, Abdalla, Nag, Madhu Lal, Mazan-Mamczarz, Krystyna, House, Carrie D., Hooper, John D. and Annunziata, Christina M. (2023). UGDH promotes tumor-initiating cells and a fibroinflammatory tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer. Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research, 42 (1) 270, 270. doi: 10.1186/s13046-023-02820-z

UGDH promotes tumor-initiating cells and a fibroinflammatory tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer

2023

Journal Article

Improved concordance of challenging human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 dual in-situ hybridisation cases with the use of a digital image analysis algorithm in breast cancer

Gough, Madeline, Liu, Cheng, Srinivasan, Bhuvana, Wilkinson, Lisa, Dunk, Louisa, Yang, Yuanhao, Schreiber, Veronika, Tuffaha, Haitham, Kryza, Thomas, Hooper, John D., Lakhani, Sunil R. and Snell, Cameron E. (2023). Improved concordance of challenging human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 dual in-situ hybridisation cases with the use of a digital image analysis algorithm in breast cancer. Histopathology, 83 (4), 647-656. doi: 10.1111/his.15000

Improved concordance of challenging human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 dual in-situ hybridisation cases with the use of a digital image analysis algorithm in breast cancer

2023

Journal Article

MUC13 cell surface mucin limits Salmonella Typhimurium infection by protecting the mucosal epithelial barrier

McGuckin, Michael A., Davies, Julie M., Felgner, Pascal, Wong, Kuan Yau, Giri, Rabina, He, Yaowu, Moniruzzaman, Md., Kryza, Thomas, Sajiir, Haressh, Hooper, John D., Florin, Timothy H., Begun, Jakob, Oussalah, Abderrahim, Hasnain, Sumaira Z., Hensel, Michael and Sheng, Yong H. (2023). MUC13 cell surface mucin limits Salmonella Typhimurium infection by protecting the mucosal epithelial barrier. Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 16 (6), 985-1009. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2023.08.011

MUC13 cell surface mucin limits Salmonella Typhimurium infection by protecting the mucosal epithelial barrier

2023

Conference Publication

Structural basis of an anti-cancer biological warhead bound to its target CDCP1 for the diagnosis and treatment of epithelial cancers

Kwah, Kayden, Gu, Weixi, Arachchige, Kasun S. A., He, Yaowu, Landsberg, Michael, Kobe, Bostjan and Hooper, John (2023). Structural basis of an anti-cancer biological warhead bound to its target CDCP1 for the diagnosis and treatment of epithelial cancers. XXVI IUCr Congress, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 22-29 August 2023. Hoboken, NJ United States: Wiley-Blackwell. doi: 10.1107/s2053273323084449

Structural basis of an anti-cancer biological warhead bound to its target CDCP1 for the diagnosis and treatment of epithelial cancers

2023

Conference Publication

HER2 in situ hybridization testing in breast cancer: applying algorithm-assisted assessment to reduce interobserver variability in difficult cases

Gough, Madeline, Liu, Cheng, Srinivasan, Bhuvana, Wilkinson, Lisa, Dunk, Louisa, Yang, Yuanhao, Tuffaha, Haitham, Kryza, Thomas, Hooper, John D., Lakhani, Sunil R. and Snell, Cameron Edward (2023). HER2 in situ hybridization testing in breast cancer: applying algorithm-assisted assessment to reduce interobserver variability in difficult cases. 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL United States, 2-6 June 2023. Alexandria, VA United States: American Society of Clinical Oncology. doi: 10.1200/jco.2023.41.16_suppl.e13561

HER2 in situ hybridization testing in breast cancer: applying algorithm-assisted assessment to reduce interobserver variability in difficult cases

2023

Conference Publication

Development of a CUB domain-containing protein 1 (CDCP1)-targeting antibody-drug conjugate for triple-negative and metastatic breast cancer

Gough, Madeline, Kwah, Kayden, He, Yaowu, Snell, Cameron Edward, Hooper, John D. and Kryza, Thomas (2023). Development of a CUB domain-containing protein 1 (CDCP1)-targeting antibody-drug conjugate for triple-negative and metastatic breast cancer. 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL United States, 2-6 June 2023. Alexandria, VA United States: American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). doi: 10.1200/jco.2023.41.16_suppl.e15012

Development of a CUB domain-containing protein 1 (CDCP1)-targeting antibody-drug conjugate for triple-negative and metastatic breast cancer

Availability

Honorary Professor John Hooper is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

  • Cellular targets for cancer detection and treatment

    The project involves the use of state-of-the-art in silico and omics approaches to identify antigens that are suitable targets for delivery of radioactive and cytotoxic payloads to cancers. Candidates will be validated by analysis of patient tumours and normal organs.

  • Agents for targeted delivery of cytotoxins to cancer

    A range of screening approaches will be employed to identify organic compounds, peptides and antibodies that bind with high affinity and specificity to antigens enriched on the surface of cancer cells. The efficacy of these agents for delivery of payloads to cancer will be evaluated using cellular and mouse models of cancer.

  • Disrupting metabolsim to improve cancer treatment efficacy

    The project will employ disease-relevant in vitro mouse models to test metabolism modulating approaches to improve the efficacy of current anti-cancer treatments.

  • Targeting cell division to significatly improve the effectiveness of ovarian cancer treatments

    The project will employ nanoparticle formulations of cell division disrupting drugs against patient-derived in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models of high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Cancer-associated post-translational modifications of the receptor CDCP1 Background:

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the function of CDCP1 and its potential as a theranostic target for cholangiocarcinoma

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Kristofer Thurecht

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Novel Theranostic Targets for Colorectal Cancer

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor David Clark

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Factors impacting receptor processing in response to peptide and antibody ligands

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jodi Saunus

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Molecular and cellular determinants of CDCP1 targeted, payload-delivery antibodies.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Landsberg

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Development of antibody-drug conjugates against hard-to-cure solid cancers

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Brett Paterson, Associate Professor Fernando Guimaraes

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Developing new strategies to overcome immune suppression in cancer

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Sherry Wu

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Developing novel strategies to overcome immune suppression in cancer

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Sherry Wu

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Enhancing immune responses to cancer

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jazmina Gonzalez Cruz, Professor Brian Gabrielli

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Genomic and epigenomic correlates of prostate cancer therapy

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Adam Ewing

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Characterisation of EV-associated lipids in the progression of ovarian cancer

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Dominic Guanzon, Professor Carlos Salomon Gallo, Dr Andrew Lai

Completed supervision

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