Elizabeth Williams
Positions
- Head, Tumour Models, APCRC-Q
- Member, IHBI, QUT
Qualifications
PhD, Parathyroid hormone-related protein and the female reproductive tract, University of Melbourne, Australia, 1997
BSc (Hons), University of Melbourne, 1991
Biography
Dr Elizabeth Williams, BSc (Hons), PhD, joined APCRC-Q in 2013 to lead the tumour models stream and extend her prostate cancer research program. She has worked in the field of cancer metastases, focussing on prostate and bladder cancer, since completing her PhD in pharmacology in 1997.
Prior to joining APCRC-Q, Dr Williams was the Metastasis Research Group Leader at Monash Institute of Medical Research’s Centre for Cancer Research (2006-2012), an Associate Senior Fellow at the Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne and a Research Fellow (Prostate Cancer Group Leader) at the Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery (2002-2006).
Dr Williams and her team have established a panel of systems to study the interaction of prostate cancer cells within the endothelial cells of the prostatic lymphatic vessels, with the aim of identifying key molecules involved in the process.
They are also investigating the molecular basis of prostate cancer cells that survive castration. Her current research project utilises a transplantable human prostate cancer xenograft that her team derived from a bone metastasis in 2001.
Awards and grants
Awards
|
2008-2012 |
National Health and Medical Research Council Fellowship, Biomedical Career Development Award |
|
2005 |
Best presentation (non-Consultant) Victorian Urology Meeting |
|
2005 |
Inaugural Harold Story Lecturer, Austin Hospital |
|
2004 |
Best presentation (Senior Scientist), St Vincent’s Hospital Research Week |
|
1999 |
International Union Against Cancer ICRETT Fellowship ‘Molecular Mechanisms of Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention at the Division of Cancer Prevention and Advanced Technologies Center, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. |
|
1996 |
Melbourne University Postgraduate Scholarship |
|
1996 |
Australian Postgraduate Award |
Grants
|
2012-2013 |
Victoria Cancer Agency |
The Cancer of Prostate Translational Research In Victoria (CAPTIV) Collaboration |
M Frydenberg, ED Williams, et al. |
|
2012-2013 |
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia |
How do castrate resistant prostate cancer cells escape dormancy? |
ED Williams |
|
2010-2013 |
ARC Linkage Project |
Designing dendrimer-based lymphatic drug vectors as improved treatments for metastatic cancer. |
C. Porter, L. Kaminskas, B Boyd, ED Williams, D Owen |
|
2010-2012 |
Cancer Council Victoria |
Novel pharmacological targets for tumour angiogenesis |
S. Selemidis, ED Williams, G Drummond. |
|
2010-2011 |
Marian and E.H. Flack Trust |
Can elemental bio-imaging of trace elements be used as a prognosis marker for prostate cancer? |
S. Wilkins, ED Williams, P Doble, K Opeskin |
|
2009-2011 |
CRC-Biomedical Imaging Development |
Characterisation of a mouse prostate cancer model for tracer development. |
ED Williams |
|
2008-2012 |
NHMRC Fellowship Biomedical Career Development Award |
Mechanisms of metastasis in urological cancers |
ED Williams |
|
2008-2010 |
NHMRC Project Grant |
Mechanism of breast cancer metastasis: tumour cell remodelling of the extracellular matrix. |
D. Russell, C Ricciardelli, E.D. Williams |
|
2008-2009 |
Victoria Cancer Agency |
Development of a high content screening platform for individualised cancer chemotherapy |
ED Williams, DN Watkins, TG Johns, GE Hannigan, CE Gargett, ID Davis, |
|
2008 |
Cancer Trusts (Equity Trustees) |
A new target for treating cancer metastasis. |
ED Williams |
|
2007-2008 |
Cancer Council Victoria |
Mechanisms underlying prostate cancer lymph node metastasis |
ED Williams, K Opeskin, C Temelcos |
Research interests
Cancer metastases, breast cancer, prostate cancer, bone metastases, bladder cancer, cancer progression
Top publications
- Lelekakis M, Moseley JM, Martin TJ, Hards D, Williams ED, Ho P, Lowen D, Javni J, Miller FR, Slavin J, and Anderson RL (1999). A novel orthotopic model of breast cancer metastasis to bone. Clinical and Experimental Metastasis, 17, 163-170.
- Carlisle AJ, Prabhu VV, Elkahloun A, Hudson J, Trent JM, Linehan WM, Williams ED, Emmert-Buck MR, Liotta LA, Munson PJ, Krizman DB (2000) Development of a prostate cDNA microarray and statistical gene expression analysis package. Molecular Carcinogenesis, 28:12-22
- McCulloch DR, Opeskin K, Thompson EW, Williams ED (2005) BM18: A novel androgen dependent human prostate cancer xenograft model derived from a bone metastasis. The Prostate, 65:35-43
- Chaffer CL, Thomas DM, Thompson EW, Williams ED (2006) PPARgamma-independent induction of growth arrest and apoptosis in prostate and bladder carcinoma. BMC Cancer, 6: 53
- Yu L, Yuan X, Barakat B, Williams* ED, Hannigan* GE. Selective regulation of p38beta protein and signaling by integrin-linked kinase mediates bladder cancer cell migration. Oncogene, accepted for publication January 2013. *co-senior author
Professional memberships and associations
Member, American Association of Cancer Research
Member, Australian Society for Medical Research
Member, Australian Prostate Cancer Collaboration
Member, Metastasis Research Society (International)
Member, The EMT International Association
Member, Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand
