Prof John Hooper

"My research focus on cancer continues to be motivated by an innate drive to understand the aberrant molecular interactions that cause cells to grow, move and survive in settings where they would normally die. My goal is to develop novel therapies that modulate these interactions in such a way that they result in cancer cell death, tumour regression and improved patient survival and quality of life."

Professor John Hooper is a Mater Foundation Fellow and a Senior Research Fellow at Mater Research. Prof Hooper leads the Cancer Biology Research Group and is the author of over 125 publications with his research currently focused on understanding molecular mechanisms underlying cancer.

Prof Hooper’s lab has a particular interest in aggressive malignancies, including cancers of the ovary, prostate, breast, bowel, pancreas and bile duct, and works closely with Mater clinicians to identify key areas of need in these malignancies, with an ongoing emphasis on the role in cancer of cell surface receptor systems. The lab’s work is underpinned by molecular, enzymology and cell biology approaches, analysis of human tissues and pre-clinical models of cancer to identify cancer promoting molecular pathways and to develop new approaches to better detect and treat cancer.

Since 2010, Prof Hooper has helped to drive the establishment of gynaecological, urological and breast cancer research teams at the Mater Hospitals. These are closely aligned with Mater’s clinical multidisciplinary teams and involve surgeons, medical oncologists, pathologists, palliative care physicians, nurses and basic researchers.

Prof Hooper is grateful for the more than $16 million in research funding that has supported his research from a range of agencies including the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Mater Foundation, the Australian Research Council, Cancer Council Queensland, the Wesley Research Institute, The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, PanKind, Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation and Tour de Cure.