Judith Clements AC

Positions
- Scientific Director, APCRC-Q
- Distinguished Professor and Head, Kallikrein Protease & Tumour Microenvironment Group, IHBI, QUT
- Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine, University of Queensland
- NHMRC Principal Research Fellow
Related websites and profiles
Qualifications
- PhD (Endocrinology) Monash University, Department of Medicine, 1989
- Master of Applied Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, 1983
- Bachelor of Applied Science (High Distinction), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, 1982
- Diploma of Laboratory Technology, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, 1969
Biography
Distinguished Professor Clements has over 30 years of experience as a molecular and cell biologist in the endocrine field with expertise in neuroendocrine functional peptides and proteases – particularly the kallikrein-like serine protease family - in hormone dependent cancers, with a major emphasis on prostate cancer. She has published over 190 articles in refereed international journals and book chapters and has an H-index of 45 with >7000 career citations (Google Scholar).
Her research covers the spectrum of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, using both in vitro and in vivo cell models, and includes proteomic, transcriptomic and genetic studies and the development and use of 3-dimensional cell culture systems better mimicking the tumour microenvironment. Her work encompasses understanding the regulation of endocrine/paracrine and autocrine mechanisms underpinning prostate cancer maintenance and progression and the identification of potential new diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets. She is internationally recognised as an expert in her field and has been awarded the Silver and Gold medals of the international Frey-Werle Foundation for her work. She leads the Queensland node of the international PRACTICAL consortium, has led the Australian Prostate Cancer BioResource (tissue bank) for more than 10 years and is Chair of the Queensland Board of the PCFA.
Awards and grants
Awards
2015 | Companion of the Order of Australia |
2013-2017 | Elected to the Council of the International Proteolysis Society |
2012 | Women in Technology (WiT) Biotech Outstanding Achievement Award |
2011 | Queensland University of Technology Vice Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence |
2007 | Gold Medal, E.K.Frey–E.Werle Foundation for pioneering work in the Kallikrein field |
2006 | Research featured in “Ten Of The Best” National Health and Medical Research Council funded health and medical research successes |
2005 | Alban Gee Prize, Urological Society of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting |
2001 | Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Science Distinguished Award for Excellence in Research |
2000 | National Health and Medical Research Council Principal Research Fellowship |
2000 | Silver Medal and Honorary Membership of the E.K.Frey–E.Werle Foundation (awarded at the International Conference, Kinin 2000, Munich) |
1998 | Alban Gee Prize, Urological Society of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting |
1995 | National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellowship |
1991 | Prize for an “Outstanding Presentation”, Kinin 91, International Conference on Kallikreins and Kinins, Munich, Germany |
Grants
2016-2017 |
The Cancer Council Queensland |
Targeting kallikrein proteases to improve treatment options for ovarian cancer | Clements |
2016 | Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia | KLK14 as a novel therapeutic target in muscle wasting induced by androgen deprivation therapy | Clements |
2015-2016 | The Cancer Council Queensland | PSA coding variants: functional analysis, multiethnic association and risk models for prostate cancer | Clements |
2014-2017 | PCFA/Movember Foundation | Movember Revolutionary Team Award | Nelson, Clements, et al |
2014-2017 | PCFA/Movember Foundation | Australian Prostate Cancer Clinical Registry –Queensland Node | Nelson, Clements, et al |
2014-2016 | National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia | Disruption of proteolytic cascades in the skin: towards halting the atopic march | |
2014-2015 | The Cancer Council Queensland | KLK4 is a key regulator of the reactive stromal microenvironment in prostate cancer | |
2014-2015 | Cancer Australia | miSNPs as novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for prostate cancer | |
2013-2017 | Australian Government Department of Health | Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre – Queensland | Nelson, Clements |
2013-2015 |
National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia |
Identification and characterisation of a novel genetic signature at the 5p15 region associated with risk of prostate cancer |
|
2012-2014 | Australia-India Strategic Research Found (AISRF) | Molecular pathways regulating ovarian cancer cell plasticity and stem cell properties | Clements, Dong, Batra and Bapat |
2012-2014 | National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) | The role of angiopoietin-1 in the self renewal and metastasis of prostate cancer stem cells. | Ling, Clements, Nelson |
2012-2013 | Queensland Cancer Fund/ The Cancer Council Queensland | Kallikrein proteases are key players in the ovarian tumour-stroma microenvironment | Clements, Kleifeld, Loessner, Harris, Magdolen |
2011-2016 | NHMRC | Principal Research Fellowship: Defining the role of the PSA-related Kallikrein serine proteases in hormone dependent cancer progression | Clements |
2011-2014 | ARC Discovery | Development and validation of virtual epithelial cancer models using an integrated modelling and experimental three-dimensional approach. | Hutmacher, McElwain, Russell, Flegg, Loessner, Clements, Dalton, Byrne |
2011-2013 | Cancer Australia/ Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia | PSA as a therapeutic target: an integrated systems biology approach to discover the pathways initiated by PSA activity in prostate cancer progression | Clements, Overall, Gorman, Hutmacher, Nelson |
2011-2013 | NHMRC | KLK4 is a master regulator of tumour microenvironment remodelling in prostate cancer and bone metastasis. | Clements, Nelson, Hutmacher, Russell, Overall, Gorman, Harris |
2011-2013 | Cancer Australia/ Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia | Targeted delivery of prostate cancer antigens to dendritic cells for immunotherapy | Radford, Lahoud, Clements |
2011-2013 | NHMRC | In-depth association and functional studies assessing the role of novel single nucleotide polymorphisms in PSA and other kallikrein genes in prostate cancer | Clements, Batra, Spurdle |
2010-2014 | Cancer Australia/ Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia | Australian Prostate Cancer Bio-Resource | Clements, Risbridger, Tilley, Sutherland et al |
2010-2014 | NHMRC | Enabling Grant for Australian Prostate Cancer Bio-Resource | Clements, Risbridger, Tilley, Sutherland et al |
2010-2012 | Queensland Smart State | Smart State PhD Scholarship – Fuhrman-Luck, Defining the kallikrein-related peptidase 4 protease degradome in prostate cancer | Fuhrman-Luck & Clements |
2010-2012 | Wesley Research Institute | Kallikrein enzymes in ovarian cancer chemo-treatment | Nicklin, Dong, Clements, Obermair |
2009-2013 | Wesley Research Institute | Collaborative Oncological Gene-environment Study (EU-COGS) | CI: Giles, Assoc-I: Clements, English, Hayes, Hopper, Kedda, Nelson, Pedersen, Severi, Southey, Spurdle |
2009-2013 | Australian Federal Government | Establishment of a National Prostate Cancer Research Centre – Queensland | Nelson, Clements |
2009-2015 | National & International Research Alliances Program | Australian-Canadian Prostate Cancer Research Alliance | Nelson, Gleave, Clements |
Research interests
- Functional role of PSA and the related Kallikrein proteases in prostate and ovarian cancer
- Role of variant Kallikrein isoforms in cancer
- Role of Kallikrein proteases in bone metastasis
- Predictive and prognostic biomarker potential of Kallikrein proteases
- Functional role of genetic variation in the Kallikrein locus
- Tumor-microenvironment influences in prostate and ovarian cancer
- Bioengineered three dimensional in vitro and in vivo models of prostate and ovarian cancer progression.
Current research projects
- KLK4 is a master regulator of tumour microenvironment remodelling in prostate cancer and bone metastasis. (Clements, Nelson, Hutmacher, Russell, Overall, Gorman, Harris).
- In-depth association and functional studies assessing the role of novel single nucleotide polymorphisms in PSA and other kallikrein genes in prostate cancer (Clements, Batra, Spurdle).
- Development and validation of virtual epithelial cancer models using an integrated modelling and experimental three-dimensional approach. (Hutmacher, McElwain, Russell, Flegg, Loessner, Clements, Dalton, Byrne).
- Kallikrein proteases are key players in the ovarian tumour-stroma microenvironment (Clements, Kleifeld, Loessner, Harris, Magdolen).
- PSA as a therapeutic target: an integrated systems biology approach to discover the pathways initiated by PSA activity in prostate cancer progression (Clements, Overall, Gorman, Hutmacher, Nelson).
- Molecular pathways regulating ovarian cancer cell plasticity and stem cell properties (Clements, Dong, Batra and Bapat).
- Kallikrein enzymes in ovarian cancer chemo-treatment (Nicklin, Dong, Clements, Obermair).
Top publications
From a career total of 170
- Clements JA, Fuller PJ, Mc Nally M, Nikolaidis I and Funder JW. Estrogen regulation of kallikrein gene expression in the rat anterior pituitary. Endocrinology 119: 268–273, 1986.
- Clements JA, Matheson BA, Wines DR, Brady JM, Mac Donald RJ and Funder JW. Androgen dependence of specific kallikrein gene family members expressed in rat prostate. J. Biol. Chem. 263: 16132–16137, 1988.
- Fuller PJ, Matheson BA, Verity K and Clements JA. Kallikrein gene expression in estrogen–induced pituitary tumors. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 60: 225–232, 1988.
- Clements JA. The glandular kallikrein family of enzymes: tissue–specific expression and hormonal regulation. Endocrine Reviews, 10: 393–419, 1989.
- Clements JA, Matheson BA and Funder JW. Tissue–specific developmental expression of the kallikrein gene family in the rat. J. Biol. Chem. 265: 1077–1081, 1990.
Team
- Scott Stansfield Senior Research Assistant
- Allison Eckert Queensland Coordinator, Australian Prostate Cancer BioResource, IHBI, QUT
- Jyotsna Batra NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow, IHBI, Faculty of Health, QUT
- Parisa Hesami PhD Candidate, IHBI QUT
- Dr Karen Chambers, Senior Research Assistant
- Dr Ying Dong, Research Fellow
- Miss Ruth Fuhrman-Luck, PhD Student
- Dr Daniela Loessner, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Miss Munasinghage Silva, PhD Student
- Srilakshmi Srinavasan, Research Assistant
- Dr Shane Stegeman, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Mr Carson Stephens, Research Assistant
- Tracy O'Mara
- Grace Eng
- Dr Trina Yeadon, National Project Manager
Collaborators
- Colleen Nelson AM Executive Director, APCRC-Q
- Dietmar Hutmacher Professor, IHBI, QUT
- Pamela Russell Emeritus Professor, Head of Biomedical Imaging and Prostate Cancer Models, APCRC-Q
- Dr Viktor Magdalen, KliFlo der Frauenklinik, Munich, Germany
- Dr David Kaplan, Tufts University, Boston, USA
- Drs Stephen Chanock & Laufey Amundattoir, NCI/NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Dr Matthias Lutholf, Ecole de Polytechnic, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Prof Ros Eeles, University College, London, UK
- Prof Chris Overall, UBC, Vancouver, Canada
- Prof Wayne Tilley, Hanson Cancer Centre, Adelaide
- Prof Gail Risbridger, Monash University, Melbourne
- Dr Oded Kleifeld, Monash University, Melbourne
- Dr Amanda Spurdle, QIMR, Brisbane
- Drs Peter Parsons & Glen Boyle, QIMR, Brisbane
- Drs Jim Nicklin & Andreas Obermair, Wesley and Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospitals, Brisbane
- Dr H Samarantunga, Aquesta Pathology, brisbane
- Dr Jon Harris, IHBI, QUT, Brisbane
- Dr Mike Doran, IHBI, QUT, Brisbane
- A/Prof John Hooper, MMRI
Professional memberships and associations
Memberships
2012- | Program Organising Committee for TEMTIA-VII 2015 |
2012- | Member, Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia National Board |
2012- | Member, National Health and Medical Research Council Prostate Specific Antigen Testing Expert Advisory Committee |
2012- | Member of the Translational Research Institute Academic Caucus |
2011- | Australasian Regional Advisor (With Prof Mark Frydenberg, Victoria) for the Movember Global Action Plan Global Biomarker Initiative |
2010- | Member of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) Biospecimen Working Group |
2009- | Elected Academic staff member of Queensland University of Technology Council |
2009- | Chair, Appointments and Promotions Committee, Queensland Institute of Medical Research |
2009- | Queensland Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee (Deputy Chair 2012) |
2009- | Member of the National Health and Medical Research Council Academy |
2008- | Co-team leader of the Brisbane node of the PRACTICAL Prostate Cancer Genome-Wide Association Studies Consortium |
2008- | Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia Queensland Board (Chair 2012 - ) |
2004- | Editorial Board, Clinical Biochemistry |
2002- | Member of Queensland Institute of Medical Research Council (National Health and Medical Research Council Representative 2002-2011) |
2001- | Chair, Australian Prostate Cancer Bio-Resource Management Committee. Directing national co–ordination of the Australian Prostate Cancer Bio-Resource (tissue bank) |
Associations
- American Association for Cancer Research
- Australasian Biospecimen Network Association
- Australia & New Zealand Urogenital & Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Group
- Australian Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Australian Society for Medical Research
- Clinical Oncological Society of Australia
- United States Endocrine Society
- Endocrine Society of Australia
- Human Proteome Organisation
- International Proteolysis Society
- International Society for Biological & Environmental Respositories
- Metastasis Research Society
- National Association of Research Fellows
- Society for Basic Urologic Research
- The Epithelio-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) International Association
- Urological Society of Australia & New Zealand
- Women in Technology