Susan Woods

Dr Susan Woods

Senior Research Fellow (D)

Adelaide Medical School

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


A/Prof. Susan L. Woods.
Bowel and stomach cancers have high mortality rates when not diagnosed early, resulting in more than 6,000 deaths in Australia each year. That is way too many. The 5-year survival for advanced disease is 12% for bowel cancer and 5% for stomach cancer. This highlights the need for improvements to our screening approaches to identify early disease and new options for treatment of advanced disease. In addition to increased rates of bowel cancer in younger adults (

Gut Cancer Group Student Projects

Title: Using patient derived organoids and genomics to guide personalised treatment for advanced bowel cancer

Project description: Together with our Australian research partners, we combine genomic analyses and patient organoid drug sensitivity assays to assess personalised treatment regimes for patients with advanced disease. We are using this to guide therapy choice for patients, reducing unwarranted side-effects and providing new treatment options for patients that have exhausted standard care options.

Projects available for: HDR
Location: SAHMRI
Research project start: Semester 1 and 2
Special requirements: Vaccination required

 

 

Title: Probiotic bacteria to detect and treat bowel cancer

Project description: This project focuses on probiotic bacteria that naturally seek out cancer to develop novel sensors of early disease and to deliver tumour specific, immune-activating payloads to treat a broad range of advanced bowel cancers.

Projects available for: HDR
Location: SAHMRI
Research project start: Semester 1 and 2
Special requirements: Vaccination required

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2022 - ongoing A/Prof University of Adelaide
    2019 - 2021 Beat Cancer SA Fellow & Group Leader University of Adelaide
    2018 - ongoing Senior Research Fellow SAHMRI
    2015 - 2018 Associate Research Fellow SAHMRI
    2015 - ongoing Senior Research Fellow University of Adelaide
  • Awards and Achievements

    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2019 Award Community Engagement Award SAHMRI SAHMRI Australia -
    2019 Achievement Pitch Perfect Finalist SAHMRI SAHMRI Australia -
    2018 Award Best Mid-Career Researcher Award SAHMRI SAHMRI Australia -
    2017 Award Poster of Merit Finalist Gastroenterological Society of Australia, GESA Australia -
    2017 Award Faculty of Health Sciences Research Travel Award University of Adelaide Australia -
    2016 Award Tall Poppy Science Award (SA) Australian Institute of Policy & Science Australia -
    2016 Award Faculty of Health Sciences Dependant Travel Award university of adelaide Australia -
    2015 Award University of Adelaide Women’s Research Excellence award the university of Adelaide Australia -
    2011 Award ASMR Best Senior Researcher Award (QLD) Australian Society for Medical Research (QLD) Australia -
    1999 Award Adelaide National Research Scholarship the university of Adelaide Australia -
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    University of Adelaide Australia PhD
  • Postgraduate Training

    Date Title Institution Country
    Postdoctoral Fellow University of California, San Francisco United States
    Research Fellow QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute Australia
  • Research Interests

Year(s)

Funding Body

Role

Amount

2020

Adelaide Medical School Research Services Support Award

Sole CI

$5000

2019-21

Redx Pharma-contracted preclinical study to test New Porcupine inhibitor in non-APC mutant bowel cancer

CIA

$79,000

2020-24

NHMRC Ideas Grant APP1184925

CIA

$596,608

2019-21

Cancer Council SA Beat Cancer Mid-Career Cancer Research Fellowship

Sole CI

$600,000

2019-23

NHMRC Project Grant APP1156391

CIF

$1,399,877

2019

Uni of Adelaide FHMS Emerging Leadership Program

Sole CI

$40,000

2018-20

NHMRC New Investigator Project Grant APP1140236

Sole CI

$593,854

2018-20

NHMRC Project Grant APP1143414

CIC

$724,876

2018-20

Cancer Australia Project Grant APP1145907

AI

$597,557

2016-18

Cure Cancer Australia/Cancer Australia Priority-driven Young Investigator Project Grant

Sole CI

$197,350

2017-18

GESA Research Collaboration Award

1 of 2 CIs

$30,000   

2017

Uni of Adelaide FHMS Research Infrastructure Grant

CIA

$16,770   

 

2011

Cure Cancer Australia/Cancer Australia Priority-driven Young Investigator Project Grant

Sole Chief Investigator

$90,000   

2011

QIMR-University-Collaborative Seed Funding Grant: Early Career Researcher

Sole Chief Investigator

$31,500   

BIOCHEMISTRY III: Cancer, Stem Cell & Dev Sem 2 2019-22 (3001, 3235, 3520)

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 Principal Supervisor Personalising treatments for advanced cancer patients receiving intraperitoneal chemotherapy using patient-derived organoids. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Harleen Kaur
    2023 Principal Supervisor Precision medicine for stomach cancer using patient derived organoids Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Francisco Hettige Tharindie Natashiya Silva
    2023 Principal Supervisor HARNESSING TUMOUR SPECIFIC EVOLUTION OF PROBIOTIC BACTERIA TO ENGINEER NEXT-GENERATION BOWEL CANCER TREATMENTS Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Full Time Miss Julia Leeflang
    2021 Principal Supervisor Probiotics to detect and treat bowel cancer Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Georgette Alexandra Radford
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2021 - 2023 Co-Supervisor An Investigation of Biological Processes Underlying Neratinib-induced Gut Injury Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Full Time Mr Phu Minh Triet Nguyen
    2021 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Development of a syngeneic, orthotopic microsatellite instability mouse model of colorectal cancer Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Part Time Miss Elaine May Thomas
    2020 - 2021 Co-Supervisor The Roles of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Colorectal Carcinogenesis Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with Doctorate Full Time Mr Hiroki Kobayashi
    2017 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Investigating the Contribution of Specific Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Subsets to Colorectal Tumourigenesis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Krystyna Anna Gieniec
  • Committee Memberships

    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2021 - ongoing Convener GESA Research Workshop Convenor Gastroenterological Society of Australia Australia
    2019 - ongoing Member GESA Research and Grants Committee Gastroenterological Society of Australia Australia
    2019 - 2020 Chair E/MCR group, Faculty of Health Science University of Adelaide Australia
    2019 - 2020 Member SAHMRI Community Advisory Group SAHMRI Australia
    2019 - ongoing Member Faculty of Health Science Research Committee The University of Adelaide Australia
    2019 - 2019 Member AGITG Trainee Workshop Faculty Organising Committee Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group Australia
    2018 - 2020 Member Victorian Cancer Council ECRF Review Panel Member Victorian Cancer Council Australia
    2018 - ongoing Member GESA Scientific Program Committee, Research Workshop Gastroenterological Society of Australia Australia
    2018 - ongoing Member AGITG Annual Scientific Meeting Translational Research Sub-Committee Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group Australia
    2017 - ongoing Member Cure Cancer Australia Research Consultative Committee Cure Cancer Australia Australia
    2016 - ongoing Co-Chair SAHMRI E/MCR Working Group SAHMRI Australia
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    2018 - ongoing Member NHMRC Grant Review Panel Australia
  • Community Engagement

    Date Title Engagement Type Institution Country
    2016 - ongoing Co-organiser Consumer Bowel Cancer Research Interest Group Scientific Community Engagement SAHMRI/University of Adelaide -
  • Position: Senior Research Fellow (D)
  • Phone: 81284386
  • Email: susan.woods@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: SAHMRI - South, floor 5
  • Org Unit: Medical Specialties

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