Cancer Cachexia Clinical and Research Integration Program (CaXI)

CaXI Research Lead – Associate Professor Louise Cheng

Associate Professor Louise Cheng is a developmental biologist and internationally recognised leader in inter-organ crosstalk. Her lab utilises fruit fly Drosophila models of cancer cachexia to study how tumour secreted factors can cause muscle and fat wasting. Her vision for this program is to bring together a multi-disciplinary team to better understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie cancer cachexia, and improve clinical diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

CaXI Clinical Lead – Professor Brian Le 

Professor Brian Le is a Medical Oncologist and Palliative Care Physician, and works full time as a clinician. He is Director of Palliative and Supportive Care across the Parkville precinct (Peter Mac, Royal Melbourne and Royal Women's hospitals), has published over 100 peer reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, and has been awarded over $8.2M in competitive research-grant funding.

Associate Professor Andrew Cox

Cancer-associated cachexia is a common feature of liver cancer, and occurs in around half of these patients. Associate Professor Andrew Cox’s laboratory has developed and characterized a novel spontaneous liver cancer model in zebrafish that develops cachexia. Importantly, their cachexia model exhibits wasting phenotypes associated with tumour progression and poorer survival. The insights gained through their studies will help to identify sensitive biomarkers of cachexia and the possibility of new strategies to treat cachexia.

Associate Professor Benjamin Parker

Associate Professor Benjamin Parker leads the Metabolic Proteomics and Signal Transduction Lab in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne. His research team is focused on understanding how genetic variants and signal transduction regulate metabolism with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets to treat metabolic diseases. His research aims to develop circulating biomarkers for cancer cachexia using proteomic techniques.

Professor Gordon Lynch

Professor Lynch is Director of the Centre for Muscle Research in the Department of Physiology at The University of Melbourne. His research encompasses muscle growth, adaptation and plasticity and understanding muscle wasting and weakness. He is President of the Australian Physiological Society and Scientific Director of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research.

Professor Linda Denehy

Professor Linda Denehy is Professor of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne, and a registered Physiotherapist. She has a joint appointment as Professor of Health Services Research: Allied Health at Peter Mac. Professor Denehy is an experienced rehabilitation researcher and is considered a world expert in rehabilitation, being in the top 0.1% of scholars internationally. Her research team (CanREX, supporting recovery and exercise) undertakes research predominately in patients with cancer across the continuum of cancer survivorship.

Dr Lara Edbrooke

Dr Lara Edbrooke is a registered physiotherapist who holds the positions of Allied Health Research Development lead at Peter Mac, and Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Her clinical, doctoral and post-doctoral work focuses on rehabilitation for people with cancer, including populations at high-risk of cancer cachexia.

Dr Hyun Ko

Dr Hyun Ko is a German and Australian board-certified radiologist with 20+ years of clinical experience in oncology, body, breast and paediatric imaging with a research focus in precision and personalised medicine utilising AI tools and radiomics. She strongly believes that translational and multidisciplinary research will play a pivotal role in effectively treating patients affected by the devastating condition of cancer cachexia.

Associate Professor Nick Hardcastle

Associate Professor Nick Hardcastle is the Physical Sciences Research Lead at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He is certified in Radiation Oncology Medical Physics by the Australasian College for Physicists and Engineers in Medicine.

Dr Aaron wong

Dr Aaron Jun Ning Wong is a Consultant Radiologist and Nuclear Medicine Specialist based in Melbourne, Australia. In 2021, he became a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, and in 2022, a Fellow of the Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists. At Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Dr Wong is a regular contributor to the lymphoma and neuroendocrine multidisciplinary tumour boards.

Alexander Heriot

Professor Sandy (Alexander) Heriot is a consultant Colorectal Surgeon and Director of Cancer Surgery at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia. His practice covers all aspects of colorectal surgery, with a particular focus in minimally invasive surgery and colorectal cancer. He applies evidence based practice and novel research to deliver individualised care for patients. He is an Honorary Clinical Professor at the University of Melbourne and has published over 135 papers and a book on laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Nutrition experts - dietitians - Jenelle Loeliger, Belinda Steer, Erin Laing and Jane Stewart

Our team of experienced clinical researchers and dietitians provide expert nutrition and dietary advice to people with cancer and their carers. Our dedicated team have expertise in cancer-related malnutrition, sarcopenia and cachexia. Our work spans the entire cancer continuum across all tumour streams, national education initiatives and we lead state-wide and national programs focused on cancer nutrition such as the Victorian Cancer Malnutrition Collaborative. 

Peter Mac’s Consumer Register hits 300

• Helen Benny
• Sudhir Sakhujua
• Victoria Sharp
• Shannong Turnbull