Elaine Sanij 29th Lorne Cancer Conference 2017

Elaine Sanij

Dr. Elaine Sanij received her PhD from Monash University in 2003 and was awarded a Cancer Research UK Postdoctoral Fellowship to undertake research in Dr. Gordon Peters laboratory at the London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK. Since 2006, she worked as a Senior Research Scientist in the Cancer Signalling Laboratory at the Peter Mac. She has extensive experience in characterising the epigenetic landscape of the ribosomal RNA genes in mammalian systems. Further, she made seminal contributions in identifying deregulation of Pol I transcription as a requirement for malignant transformation. This work has led to critical advances in understanding the role of Pol I transcription in tumourigenesis and to the development of the first-in-class Pol I inhibitor CX-5461 as an anti-tumour agent that is currently in 2 international phase I/II clinical trials in patients with haematological malignancies (Peter Mac) and breast cancer (Canadian Cancer Trials Group). Her current studies demonstrate therapeutic benefit for CX-5461 against high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Her preclinical studies support a plan for a phase I/II trial in ovarian cancer in 2019 at Peter Mac. In 2018, Dr Sanij was the recipient of the prestigious highly commended Peter Mac Lea Award, which recognises research excellence by female research leaders and was the inaugural participant in a cancer research exchange program with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston to establish collaborations with researchers in novel DNA repair therapies in ovarian cancer.

Abstracts this author is presenting: