Dr Jodi Saunus is a Senior Research Fellow and Mater Career Track Fellow who specialises in translational research on metastatic breast cancer. Based at Brisbane’s Translational Research Institute, she was recruited by Mater Research in 2022 to help facilitate patient-focused research at the interface of biomedical R&D and clinical practice. Dr Saunus has an honours degree in biochemistry and biomedical science, a PhD in breast cancer molecular genetics, and post-doctoral experience in immunology, molecular cell biology, pathology informatics, and early-phase investigator-initiated clinical trials. Her research portfolio is centred on finding new ways to improve the clinical management of breast cancer, particularly triple-negative breast cancer, and the prevention and treatment of brain metastases.
This work spans multiple disciplines and capabilities, and broadly involves:
- Molecular profiling of patient-donated blood and tumour tissue samples to identify features that could be exploited as specific therapeutic targets, or as biomarkers of treatment response.
- Using experimental models of metastatic breast cancer to study the molecular mechanisms used by cancer cells to survive and grow in the brain.
- Developing innovative treatment strategies that work differently to conventional cancer drugs, including engineered biologics, endoradiotherapy and vaccination.
Dr Saunus is a strong proponent of biobanking, and of clinician and consumer engagement in translational research. With an outstanding network of collaborators from academia and clinical practice, she has secured over $6 million to fund this work and co-authored about 70 original research and review articles that have been featured in impactful biomedical research journals, including Cancer Research, Nature, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Communications and The Journal of Pathology.