Viive Howell

Biography

Dr Howell is the Research Director of the Bill Walsh Translational Cancer Research Laboratory, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney. Prior to her current appointments she was a Cancer Institute NSW Northern Translational Cancer Research Unit Fellow, a Cancer Institute NSW Fellow and NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow at the University of Michigan, USA and the University of Sydney. Her research has also attracted funding from Cancer Council NSW and Cure Cancer Australia Foundation and she works collaboratively with several biotech companies. She has extensive expertise in molecular genetics and in vivo modelling which she applied to understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer and the identification of disease biomarkers. Her PhD studies led to changes to the WHO guidelines for diagnosis of parathyroid cancer. Her laboratory is focused on improving treatment and outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients through the development of novel immunotherapies and the identification of prognostic and predictive biomarkers.

Research Interest

 Dr Howell’s area of interest is the genetics and molecular mechanisms of disease. Her primary focus is ovarian epithelial cancer with goals of improving understanding of the causes and progression of this disease and identification of new biomarkers which may facilitate earlier diagnosis. She is developing novel genetic mouse models of ovarian cancer in which to study the complex interplay of hormonal, genetic and other factors that leads to this disease. In addition, she is undertaking in vitro studies to search for novel regulators of signalling pathways that are implicated in ovarian cancer development.