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Marie Ranson
Associate Professor
32.307
+61 2 4221 3291
Research Interests
The urokinase plasminogen activation system in tumour invasion and metastasis
Structure-function relationships of the urokinase inhibitor PAI-2/serpinB2 and small molecule inhibitors, their biological role/s in cancer, and their use in anti-uPA targeted therapies
Preclinical testing of new anti-cancer drugs and formulations
The plasminogen activation system in streptococcal infection
Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute
Proteostasis and Disease Research Centre
Representative Publications
Walker, MJ, McArthur J, McKay F, and Ranson M. (2005) Is plasminogen deployed as a Streptococcus pyogenes virulence factor? Trends in Microbiology. 13:308-311
Vine KL, Locke JM, Ranson M, Benkendorff K, Pyne SG, Bremner JB. (2007) An Investigation into the Cytotoxicity and Mode of Action of Some Novel N-alkyl Substituted Isatins. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 50: 5109-5117.
Stutchbury TK, Al-ejeh F, Stillfried GE, Croucher DR, Andrews JA, Irving D, Links M and Ranson M. (2007) Preclinical evaluation of PAI-2-DTTA-213Bi (alpha-PAI-2) in an orthotopic murine xenogenic model of human breast carcinoma. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 6: 203-212.
Croucher DR, Saunders DN, Lobov S and Ranson M. (2008) Revisiting the biological roles of PAI2 (SERPINB2) in cancer. Nature Reviews Cancer. 8:535-545.
Cochran BJ, Croucher DR, Lobov, S, Saunders DN and Ranson M. (2011) Dependence on endocytic receptor binding via a minimal binding motif underlies the differential prognostic profiles of serpinE1 and serpinB2 in cancer. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 286: 24467-24475.
Current Students
PhD students
Jodi Ann Lee - Characterisation of SerpinB2 as a stress response modulator
Vineesh Narayanan - Understanding HER2-uPAR receptor crosstalk and their role in tumour progression
Nathan Ralston-Bryce - The role of extracellular PAI-2 in vivo
Patrick Constantinescu - Chaperones and proteases in extracellular proteostasis (co-supervision with Prof Mark Wilson)
Aleta Pupovic - The P2X7 receptor and the release of CD23 (co-supervision with Dr Ron Sluyter)
Honours
Emma Healy - An investigation of patient and physician preferences for 5-FU administration modes in the Illawarra (co-supervision with Dr G Stillfried, CHI; Prof P Clingan, GSM)
Luke Jones - Investigating the MOA and anticancer effect of a novel class of isatin molecules in combination and in drug resistant cancers (co-supervision with Dr K Perrow)
Diane Ly - Impact of bacterial plasmin acquisition on host immune response to infection by Group A Streptococcus (co-supervision with Dr M Sanderson-Smith)
Alyce Nehme - Novel PAI-2 (SerpinB2) Interactions and Modifications in Cancer and Neurodegeneration
Clare Watson
Assessment of the antiangiogenic properties of sulfated cyclodextrins in novel anti-cancer formulations incorporating 5-fluorouracil
Suggested Topics for Future Students
Cellular and molecular biology
The role of the plasminogen activation system in tumour malignancy and anti-metastasis drug development includes:
• Structure-function relationships of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2) – understanding the “PAI paradox” of serpin expression and cancer outcome (co-supervised with Dr D Saunders, Garvan).
• Development of PAI-2-cytotoxin conjugates as targeted cancer therapeutics: use in combination therapies (co-supervised with Dr Kara Perrow)
The role of PAI-2 in proteostasis (co-supervised with Dr D Saunders, Garvan; Dr J Yerbury)
Other drug development collaborative research
• Chemical synthesis and mode of action studies of novel indole compounds with unique tubulin polymerisation inhibitory mechanisms (Primary supervisor Dr Kara Perrow)
• Other drug development research pending funding in collaboration with 1) Prof Mark Wilson and Dr M Kelso (Chemistry) 2) Dr Danielle Skropeta (Chemistry)
Abbreviated CV
Academic Qualifications: BSc(Hons, Biochemistry) UNSW,1984; PhD, University of Sydney, 1990.
Academic and Research Appointments
2009– Scientific Director, Cancer Continuum, Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute
2009 – Visiting Research Fellow, Finsen Laboratory, University of Copenhagen
2006- Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong
2005- 2008 Cancer Institute NSW Fellow
2005, 2010 Standing Acting Head, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong
2004 Gessellschaft fur Biotechnologische Forschung (GBF) Fellow, Braunschweig, Germany
1998-2005 Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong
1993-1997 Research Fellow, Department Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong
1990-1992 Fogarty Visiting Post-Doctoral Fellow, NCI, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda USA
Awards and Professional activities
Invited Guest editor for special edition of Current Drug Targets entitled: “The plasminogen activation system (PAS) in pathology: use in prognosis and therapy". Vol 12, issue 12, 2011.
University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research Supervision (2007)
Invited co-chair and member of the International Advisory Committee of the Xth, XIth and XIIIth International Workshop on the Cell and Molecular Biology of Plasminogen Activation (USA, 2005; Sweden, 2007; UK, 2011)
Invited State-of-the-Art session chair plus abstract reviewer and co-chair for the 18th and 19th Congress of the International Society for Fibrinolysis and Proteolysis (ISFP) (USA 2006; Austria 2008, respectively)
Member of the organising committee for the 17th ISFP (Melbourne 2004)
Member of The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The International Society for Fibrinolysis and Proteolysis; Wisenet
External Competitive Grant Funding (2005–present):
| Year | Source | Chief Investigators | Project (abbreviated titles) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Cancer Institute NSW | Croucher (Ranson Supervisor) | Research Scholar Award |
| 2005 | Cancer Institute NSW | Ranson | Career Development Fellowship |
| 2006 | AINSE x 2 | Ranson | Imaging analyses of metastatic tumours |
| 2007 | ARC Linkage-Infraastructure Equipment and Facilities Grant | Buttemer, Astheimer, Olsson, Walker, French, Wilson, Robinson, Uller, Zhang, Aquilina, Dowton, Ayre, Hulbert, Jolley, Wallman, Minchinton, Davis, Madsen, Ujvari, Whelan, Bradstock, West, Ranson | Flora and Fauna Research Facility |
| 2008/9 | NHMRC | Development grant Ranson et al | Development of novel anti-cancer formulations |
| 2009 | COMET, AusIndustry | Warrapharm Pty Ltd | Development of novel anti-cancer formulations |
| 2009 | ARC Linkage-Infraastructure Equipment and Facilities Grant | Dixon, Otting, Lewis, Curmi, Aquilina, Beck, Keller, Ranson, Walker, Wilson, Casarotto, Ollis | Regional Facility for Real Time Analysis of Molecular Interactions |
| 2011 | ARC Linkage-Infraastructure Equipment and Facilities | Grant Oakley, Dixon, Wilson, Keller, Ollis, Board, Ranson, Young | Regional facility for macromolecular x-ray crystallography |
Postgraduate Scholarships
