Ellca Ratther
Positions
- PhD Candidate, APCRC-Q (Cancer Plasticity)
- Member, IHBI, Queensland University of Technology
Qualifications
BSc, Biology, University of British Columbia, Canada, 2014
Biography
Ms Ellca Ratther joined the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre- Queensland (APCRC-Q) at Queensland University of Technology’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation as a PhD student. Ellca completed a BSc in Biology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2014 where she took part in the science cooperative education program and did a seven month placement at the APCRC-Q. Under the supervision of Dr Brett Hollier, Associate Professor Elizabeth Williams, Dr Katrina Sweeney and Professor Colleen Nelson, Ellca is investigating the role of epithelial plasticity in progression of castration resistant prostate cancer, specifically neuroendocrine transdifferentiation. Neuroendocrine prostate cancer is a lethal and highly aggressive disease and investigation of the adaptive pathways involved in developing this cancer could lead to development of biomarkers and targets for treatments.
Awards and grants
|
2017 |
QUT Higher Degree Research Student Grant-in-Aid Travel Grant |
|
2012 |
NSERC Industrial Undergraduate Student Research Award (IUSRA) |
Research interests
Prostate cancer, androgen signalling, EMT, neuroendocrine transdifferentiation, treatment resistance mechanisms, androgen targeted therapies
Current research projects
Investigating the role of epithelial plasticity during prostate cancer progression.
Top publications
Tse BWC*, Volpert M*, Ratther E*, Stylianou N, Nouri M, McGowan K, Lehman ML, McPherson SJ, Roshan-Moniri M, Butler MS, Caradec J, Gregory-Evans CY, McGovern J, Das R, Takhar M, Erho N, Alshalafa M, Davicioni E, Schaeffer EM, Jenkins RB, Ross AE, Karnes RJ, Den RB, Fazli L, Gregory PA, Gleave ME, Williams ED, Rennie PS, Buttyan R, Gunter JH, Selth LA, Russell PJ, Nelson CC, Hollier BG. Neuropilin-1 is up-regulated in the adaptive response of prostate tumours to androgen targeted therapies and is prognostic of metastatic progression and patient mortality. Oncogene. 2017; 36(24): 3417-3427 (*Authors contributed equally).
Nouri M*, Ratther E*, Stylianou N, Nelson CC, Hollier BG, Williams ED. Androgen-Targeted Therapy-Induced Epithelial Mesenchymal Plasticity and Neuroendocrine Transdifferentiation in Prostate Cancer: An Opportunity for Intervention. Frontiers of Oncology. 2014; 4:370 (*Authors contributed equally).
Collaborators
- Akanksha Upadhyaya PhD Candidate, APCRC-Q
- Brett Hollier Head, Invasion & Metastasis, APCRC-Q
- Colleen Nelson AM Executive Director, APCRC-Q
- Elizabeth Williams Head, Tumour Models, APCRC-Q
Professional memberships and associations
|
2017-present |
American Association of Cancer Research |
|
2016-present |
Australian Society of Medical Research |
|
2015-present |
The EMT International Association |
|
2014-present |
Australian Prostate Cancer Collaboration |
|
|
|
