DUN LAB

Professor Matt Dun & The Cancer Signalling Research Group aka Dun Lab, The University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute

 

Learn more about Dun Lab below.

MEET THE DUN LAB TEAM

Leading the Cancer Signalling Research Group (CSRG) at The University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Matt and his team use DIPG/DMG tumour samples to study how the cancer works – particularly the genes and proteins that control tumour cell growth, and its response (or resistance) to experimental therapies. The specialised techniques quality work and collaborative approach of Matt and his team have already helped bring treatment options to clinical trial – a fantastic achievement within 4 years of establishing the research program.

With a decorated career studying leukaemias prior to daughter Josephine’s DIPG diagnosis, Matt knows DIPG/DMG research can bring about improved patient outcomes, just as has been achieved in blood cancers in recent times. RUN DIPG are immensely proud to support the work of Matt and the ‘Dun Lab’ alongside other fantastic researchers dedicated to moving towards a cure.

Dr Evangeline Jackson
BBiomed Sci (Honours)
& PhD (Medical Biochemistry)

The Kids’ Cancer Project
Early Career Fellow

Dr Evangeline Jackson is a postdoctoral researcher within University of Newcastle’s Cancer Signalling Research Group. Under the guidance of Prof Matt Dun, Evie is a long-standing and instrumental member of the Dun Lab.

Despite the infancy of her career, Dr Jackson’s capabilities have been recognised by national and international stakeholders. In 2023, Evie received the “Marit Mary Swenson Award for Pediatric DMG/DIPG” at the Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting (Vancouver, Canada) and announced as the Col Reynolds Early Career Fellow (2025-2027) by The Kids’ Cancer Project.

Evie applies her love of science and research expertise wholeheartedly when studying how DMG/DIPG tumours respond to, or resist, experimental therapies. Through her undergraduate, Honours and PhD studies (2018-2023), Dr Jackson’s body of work evaluating paxalisib and ONC201 made significant contribution to the preclinical evidence supporting the therapies’ inclusion in the ‘PNOC022’ international clinical trial.

Dr Jackson is presently evaluating how to enhance the benefit of paxalisib and ONC201 in clinical trials. Using specialist skill in cell and molecular biology, she asks “how can we ensure a durable survival benefit?” as some patients respond better than others, and, “how can we minimise side effects” to ensure a safe experience for those facing DIPG.

Penned alongside Prof Dun and Dr Duchatel, Evie’s evaluation of the signalling pathways controlling DIPG tumour growth can be found here.

Read ONC201 in Combination with Paxalisib for the Treatment of H3K27-Altered Diffuse Midline Glioma which discusses drugs that target the mechanisms controlling DMG tumour growth, including ONC201.

Co-authored with Dr Ryan Duchatel, read A review of current therapeutics targeting the mitochondrial protease ClpP in diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-altered looking at the preclinical evaluation of the combination of ONC201 and paxalisib.

Read her bio on Google Scholar Here.

Read her researcher’s bio on Research Gate here.

Access Evie’s professional profile here.

Dr Ryan Duchatel
PhD Experimental
Pharmacology

ChadTough Defeat
DIPG Fellow

Dr Duchatel is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Cancer Signalling Research Group. With expertise in animal modelling, Ryan leads the DMG/DIPG in vivo studies at UON/HMRI; a crucial aspect of understanding how lab-based findings may be translated to clinically benefit patients with DMG/DIPG. Dr Duchatel’s PhD in Experimental Pharmacology (focused in schizophrenia) provides intricate insight into the requirements of drug candidates if they are to indeed extend patient survival, as does his training with field leaders Prof Michelle Monje (Stanford University) and Dr David Ziegler (Children’s Cancer Institute). Dr Duchatel is most proud of his contribution to the development of the PNOC022 clinical trial protocol (anticipated to open in Australia in August 2022) which evaluates the place of paxalisib, ONC201 and radiation therapy in the treatment of DMG. His latest study evaluating how to maximise the effect of paxalisib was presented at the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology and Oncology Group Annual Scientific Meeting in July 2022 and was well received.

Read Dr Duchatel’s paper evaluating German-sourced ONC201 (that is bought by families unable to access the drug via clinical trial) can be found here.

Read his latest here: PI3K/mTOR is a therapeutically targetable genetic dependency in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

 

Read his researcher’s bio on Google Scholar here.

Access Ryan’s professional profile here.

Mika Persson
B. Biomedicine

RUN DIPG International
HDR Scholar

Hailing from Sweden, Mika Persson received the inaugural RUN DIPG International HDR Scholarship in 2020. As was the way with most things that year, COVID-19 forced a pivot to the commencement of Mika’s PhD studies. Unable to travel to Australia, Mika began her project (seeking to find tumour-specific characteristics on the surface of DMG cells that may be targeted by immune-based therapies) in the Danish laboratory of Prof Martin Larsen. A world-leader in mass spectrometry techniques (and mentor to Prof Matt Dun) Mika was able to turn the experience into a valuable period of training that will serve her and her CSRG colleagues well in the coming years.  

Mika was recently awarded “Best Student Oral Presentation” at the Australian Society for Medical Research Newcastle Annual Scientific Meeting and her latest publication examining ‘The intrinsic and microenvironmental features of diffuse midline glioma: Implications for the development of effective immunotherapeutic treatment strategies’ can be found here.

 

Read her researcher’s bio on Research Gate here.

 

Izac Findlay
B. Biomed (Honours)

RUN DIPG Moving Towards a Cure 
HDR Scholar

Receiving the RUN DIPG Moving Towards a Cure HDR Scholarship for 2022, Izac is tasked with establishing a ‘Pharmaco-Phospho-Proteo-Genomic’ pipeline throughout his PhD studies. This aims to allow comprehensive evaluation of the gene and protein-controlled pathways that sustain DMG/DIPG tumour growth, and target these with known or new experimental therapies. A project co-funded by The Kids Cancer Project (and others), Izac has collected close to 200 tumour samples to be analysed. Using bioinformatics, the data will be collated into (what is hoped to be) a valuable clinical resource for those treating DMG/DIPG patients.  

Izac was recently awarded Best Poster Presentation at The Hunter Cell Biology Meeting in May 2022 and recently published a review on pharmaco-proteogenomic profiling in DMG – you can read more here. 

 

Read his researcher’s bio on Research Gate here.

Bryce Thomas
B. Biomed Sci, B. Advanced Studies (Honours)
Alegra’s Army
PhD Scholar
 

Bryce is the newest PhD candidate and member of the Cancer Signalling Research Group under the supervision of Prof Matt Dun. Bryce’s project will build upon RUN DIPG scholar Mika Persson’s research exploring the immune landscape of DIPG/DMG tumours and will develop cancer specific therapies like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. CAR T cells are a type of “living drug” which are a new and exciting form of cancer treatment called immunotherapies. CAR T cell technology utilises white blood cells taken from patients that are genetically modified and grown in the lab to target a cancer protein which we then then given back to patients to selectively kill their own cancer. Bryce will build on his three years of experience working with CAR T cells across several cancers including DIPG/DMG, as well as his Honours project where he received the Neil and Norma Hill Foundation award for best translation research project, investigating new safety mechanism to improve CAR T cell therapy. His research is proudly supported by the Little Legs Foundation and the Charlie Teo Foundation through the Alegra’s Army Research Grant and Scholarship.

Read more about him via LinkedIn here. 

Alicia Douglas
B. Biotech, M. Pharm

Cancer Signalling Research
Group Manager

Alicia is the Research Manager for the Cancer Signalling Research Group at UON/HMRI. Alicia facilitates Prof Matt Dun and the staff and students of CSRG in achieving their research goals within budget, to designated timelines and while meeting their regulatory responsibilities. Coordinating the preparation and submission of funding applications, scientific manuscripts, ethics applications and reporting requirements, Alicia ensures Matt and the team can execute their lab-based research in a smooth and productive manner. 

Dr Tuan Vo
Biotech, PhD Medical & Molecular Genetics

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr Vo is focused on developing and implementing single-cell and spatial multi-omics platform capability within the Cancer Signalling Research Group, to provide unique and expert analysis of human and animal-modelled DIPG. Tuan’s work will identify changes in tumour cells and the regulators driving cancer progression and therapy response.

Jasmine Cairney
B. Biomed Student

Research Assistant

Joining the group in 2024, Jasmine supports the administrative and logistical requirements of the Dun Lab. Facilitating the growing group’s ordering, stock handling and general lab space upkeep, Jasmine’s involvement ensures the staff and students of CSRG can focus on the scientific tasks at hand.

Holly McEwen
B. Adv. Science – Chemistry (Honours)

Research Assistant

Holly leads the mass spectrometry analysis performed by the Dun Lab. A specialist technique that evaluates the protein and metabolite compositions of a sample, Holly supports the projects of both staff and students as they aim to understand and address DIPG. Mass spectrometry gives insight into the biological changes caused by DIPG on a sub-cellular level, as well as the mechanism and impact of different treatments. Holly also conducts pharmacokinetic analysis for the lab – the quantitative study of how drugs move throughout the body. This helps Prof Dun and the Dun Lab establish whether candidate therapies will be safe and effective against DIPG.

Dr Ranjith Jayaraman
PhD Immunology

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr Jayaraman leads the Cancer Signalling Research Group’s immunological investigations. His work as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow utilises cell lines, animal models and patient samples to explore the ‘tumour immune microenvironment’ (physical and biological elements surrounding the tumour) and develop methods that will boost the body’s capability to identify and eliminate cancer cells.

Yuanhao Jiang
M. Sci

RUN DIPG ‘Warrior Jack’ PhD Scholar

As PhD student and member of the Cancer Signalling Research Group, Yuanhao joined the Dun Lab as the RUN DIPG ‘Warrior Jack’ PhD Scholar in 2024. Through 2024-2027, Yuanhao aims to develop a robust classification system for DMG tumours. He will study genomics, methylation signatures, and histological features of 210 tumour samples, using artificial intelligence to understand whether DMG tumours can be subtyped. Ultimately, the project seeks to understand whether subtyping can guide treatment selection that gives improved survival outcomes. A complex and technically challenging project, with RUN DIPG’s support, Yuanhao will draw on skills developed throughout his Masters in Data Science and undergraduate achievements in Engineering.

Read more on Yuanhao and his project throughout his candidacy here.

You can read more about the Warrior Jack Scholarship here.

Dr Zac Germon
PhD Med. Biochem

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr Zac Germon is a postdoctoral researcher within the Cancer Signalling Research Group. Joining Prof. Matt Dun’s team as a student in 2016, Dr Germon uses cell and molecular biology techniques to understand the aggressive nature of kids’ cancers. Zac’s work in leukaemia was recognised via the ‘New Investigator Award for Early Career Researchers’ in 2022, his expertise now used to study the drivers of DIPG.

Dr Germon is currently investigating how the ‘tumour microenvironment’ (area and interacting cells surrounding the DIPG tumour) contributes to DIPG growth and response to therapies. In doing so, he hopes to improve patients’ response to radiotherapy and uncover new treatment options for patients with DIPG.

Marissa Lally
B. Sc. (Neuroscience)

Research Assistant

Originally from Louisiana in the United States, Marissa Lally is a new addition to the Dun Lab taking up the position of ‘Research Assistant’ in July 2024. Marissa will provide instrumental  support to the group’s DIPG cell culture work as well as the monitoring and care of DIPG animals. Marissa brings an extra set of hands and resilient attitude to the Cancer Signalling Research Group and the vast and vital work of understanding DIPG.

PUBLISHED WORK

To view a more up to date list of Professor Matt Dun’s publications, see here.