2019 Abstrack Book
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Table of Contents St. Vincent’s Hospital Map ................................................................................................ 2 Message from the Co-chairs.............................................................................................. 3 Biomed Link 2019 Organising Committee .......................................................................... 4 Biomed Link 2019 Sponsors .............................................................................................. 5 Biomed Link 2019 Session Times ..................................................................................... 10 Welcome Address ........................................................................................................... 12 Keynote Address ............................................................................................................ 13 Biomed Link 2019 3MT Session ....................................................................................... 15 Oral Presentation Abstracts ............................................................................................ 17 Poster Presentation Abstracts ........................................................................................ 33 Judges and Reviewers ................................................................................................... 108 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 109 1 St. Vincent’s Hospital Map Points of Interests 1. Registration 2. Brenan Hall (Poster Area) 3. Michael Chamberlin Theatre 4. Toilets 2 Message from the Co-chairs Dear Delegates, Welcome to Biomed Link 2019, a student conference for biomedical students to communicate their research and network with peers from Melbourne and across Australia. The Biomed Link 2019 organising committee is made up of members from the St. Vincent’s Student Society, and we are proud to provide this forum for the tenth year running, made possible by our generous sponsors. We hope that Biomed Link 2019 will provide you with opportunities to: • Communicate your research to a broad scientific audience; • Meet and network with peers from different research fields across Australia; • Engage in post-presentation discussions; • Be inspired by the career experiences of our keynote address speakers Professor Andreas Strasser and Dr Danijela Mirosa; • Interact with the representatives from several of our generous sponsors at the trade displays; • Find out available Honours or PhD projects at St Vincent’s Hospital Moreover, we hope that the assortment of research topics covered this year by the oral and poster presentations will spark some interesting discussions amongst you and your peers and provide you with a chance to practice your communication and networking skills, while learning something in the process. We highly encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to make the most out of this conference. We wish you a meaningful day with us and hope that you will enjoy all that this wonderful conference has to offer. Martha Blank and Crystal Nguyen Biomed Link 2019 Co-Chairs 3 Biomed Link 2019 Organising Committee The Biomed Link 2019 conference was made possible by invaluable contributions from the committee members comprising of the following individuals: Martha Blank Crystal Nguyen Co-Chairs, Biomed Link 2019 Ashley Ovens Nicholas Waters Jesslyn Lamtara Daniel Urrutia Cabrera Patrick Lam Layal El Wazan Alexander Murdoch Xining Li Luke Van Jager Ting Ting Ge Oliver Cucanic Please feel free to approach any of the committee members if you have any questions or require further assistance. 4 Biomed Link 2019 Sponsors Biomed Link 2019 Major Sponsors 5 World-class medical research at St Vincent's Institute (SVI) DISEASE FOCUS Researchers at St Vincent’s Institute (SVI), are dedicated to discovering new ways to treat and prevent common diseases that affect many Australians. Diseases studied include cancer, obesity and heart disease, type1and type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis. TRAINING We offer undergraduate and postgraduate training in cell biology, protein structural biology, biochemistry, immunology, cell signaling and regenerative medicine, as well as clinical research and bioinformatics research into diseases including cancer, diabetes and bone disease. FINANCIAL SUPPORT The SVI Foundation offers top-up scholarships for Honours and PhD students. Visit our Student Awards page for more information. SVI can help you develop the skills, experience and knowledge you need to take the next step in your career. Visit our website for more information. St Vincent’s Institute (SVI) 9 Princes St Fitzroy Email: [email protected] Phone: (03) 9231 2480 6 Biomed Link 2019 Gold Sponsors 7 EMBL Australia is a life science network that supports ambitious research projects and provides access to infrastructure and training to early-career Australian scientists. Australia is an member of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Europe’s flagship life sciences institution. The associate membership gives Australia the opportunity to internationalise our life sciences research, introduce the world’s best young researchers to new networks and tools here in Australia, and develop highly competitive research teams networked across the nation and with Europe and Asia. Supported by the National Research Infrastructure for Australia (NCRIS) program, an Australian Government initiative, EMBL Australia is at the cutting edge of life sciences research in Australia. EMBL Australia has: • a Partner Laboratory Network consisting of 16 research groups led by outstanding early-career researchers at nodes in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT • a nationwide reach through student training programs, including a PhD course, postgraduate symposium, travel grants and PhD program • a national resource, EMBL Australia Bioinformatics Resource (EMBL-ABR), that provides bioinformatics support to Australian life science researchers • access to international linkages through EMBL and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). Read more about the Partner Laboratory Network, our research and student opportunities at www.emblaustralia.org. Subscribe to the EMBL Australia newsletter or follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news and student programs. 8 Biomed Link 2019 Silver Sponsors Biomed Link 2019 Bronze Sponsors 9 Biomed Link 2019 Session Times 8:00 – 8:30 CONFERENCE REGISTRATION OPENING ADDRESS Michael Chamberlin Lecture Theatre 8:30 – 8:40 Ms Martha Blank and Ms Crystal Nguyen (Co-Chairs) WELCOME ADDRESS Michael Chamberlin Lecture Theatre 8:40 – 8:45 Prof. Jenny Graves (La Trobe University) KEYNOTE ADDRESS Michael Chamberlin Lecture Theatre 8:45 – 9:30 Prof. Andreas Strasser (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) How does the tumor suppressor p53 protect us from cancer and how can it be targeted therapeutically? 3 MINUTE-THESIS Michael Chamberlin Lecture Theatre Session 1 Judges: Dr. Amanda Edgley (University of Melbourne) and Ms Nicola Peniguel (St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research) 9:30 – 10:30 10:30 – 11:30 MORNING TEA & POSTER PRESENTATIONS SESSION 1 Brennan Hall ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION 1 Michael Chamberlin Lecture Theatre Judges: Prof. David Vaux (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research), Prof. Natalie Sims (St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research) and Dr. Andrew Sutherland (St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research) Lokman Pang Investigating the Role of GP130/STAT3 Signalling in Intestinal Barrier Function Catriona Nguyen-Robertson CD1A-Restricted T cells: A Unique Population of Lipid Reactive Cells Session 2 Winnie Tan 11:30 – 13:00 Monoubiquitination of FANCI:FANCD2 Locks Itself to DNA to Form Filaments Wei Shern Lee Genetic and Transcriptional Analysis of Brain Malformation at Single-Cell Resolution Meaghan Griffiths High Dose Radiotherapy Directly Damages the Uterus and Compromises Fertility Fabrizzio Horta Female Age Affects the DNA Repair Capacity of Oocytes in IVF Using a Controlled Model of Sperm DNA Damage Ana Rita Leitoguinho The Role of Ventx Homeobox Gene During Human Haematopoietic Development 13:00 – 14:30 LUNCH & POSTER PRESENTATIONS SESSION 2 Brennan Hall 10 ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION 2 Michael Chamberlin Lecture Theatre Judges: Prof. Jenny Graves (LaTrobe University), Dr. Jörg Heierhorst (St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research) and Dr. Catherine Drinkwater (BioCurate) John Nguyen The Cellular Microenvironment Supports Muscle Stem Cell Proliferation and Regeneration Marija Dinevska Targeting Ion Channels with FDA-Approved Therapeutics to Regulate Invadopia Formation/Activity in Glioma Cells Christina Gangemi Session 3 Light-Induced Proliferation of Pancreatic Beta Cells Mediated by OPN3 14:30 – 16:00 Andrew Treller Investigating Vascular Dysfunction in Friedreich’s Ataxia Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Marija Simic Anti-LRP6 Antibody Prevents Myeloma Induced Bone Disease and Increases Bone Strength Mariah Alorro Selective Stat3 Inhibition in the Tumour Microenvironment Restricts Gastrointestinal Tumour Growth Hoang Kim Ngan Le Characterising the Role of Il-36G in the Development of Gastric Cancer Ryan O'Keefe Targeting Tuft cells and Innate Lymphoid Cells in Gastric Cancer 16:00 – 16:30 AFTERNOON TEA & POSTER PRESENTATIONS SESSION 3 Brennan Hall KEYNOTE ADDRESS Michael Chamberlin Lecture Theatre 16:30 – 17:10 Dr. Danijela Mirosa (Takeda, Head of Strategy & Patient