Dr Nicole ( Nikki ) Verrills

Biography

Nicole Verrills is an early career investigator who already has numerous research achievements. Her PhD was awarded from Macquarie University in 2005, for which she received a Vice-Chancellors Commendation for Excellence in Research. Her research interests centre on understanding the molecular changes involved in cancer progression and chemotherapy resistance. By using powerful proteomics techniques, including being one of the first in Australia to use difference in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) technology, she has discovered novel protein alterations that confer chemotherapy resistance in childhood leukaemia. These proteins are now targets for ongoing investigations to develop improved therapies for relapsed leukaemia patients (Aus Patent PCT/AU2004/000331; US Patent 10/549831 - Determining Drug Resistance). This research is internationally competitive and recognised through continued publications, presentations at international and national meetings, and international and national awards. These include the 2004 Biochemical Journal Young Investigator Award, presented to the best young researcher at the 12th International Conference on Second Messengers and Phosphoproteins, Montreal, Canada; the Merck Sharp Dohm Best of the Best Award and the Cure Cancer Australia Foundation Award, both presented at the 2004 Australian Health and Medical Research (ASMR) Congress. In 2003 Dr Verrills was awarded the University of Sydney Medal for Excellence in Medical Research, presented to the best young researcher at the ASMR NSW Conference, and was a finalist in the Cure Cancer Australia Foundations Young Researcher of the Year Award. Her research publications appear in journals of high impact and are already well cited (over 230 to date). The importance of her work has been featured in opinion articles in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Fojo, T (2006) JNCI 98: 1363) and Chemistry and Biology (Ojima and Ferlini (2003) Chem Biol 10: 583).

In 2006 Dr Verrills received a highly competitive and prestigious NHMRC Peter Doherty (Biomedical) Postdoctoral Fellowship. Through this fellowship she also received a scholarship to the Australian Academy of Science Science at the Shine Dome meeting. In 2006 she became the inaugural recipient of the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) Competitive Research Fund for Early Career Researchers in Cancer, and she has recently received grant funding from the Cure Cancer Australia Foundation. Her expertise in the field of proteomics and cancer biology results in invitations to peer review manuscripts for a variety of journals and grant applications, and invitations to present seminars. She has a strong determination to translate her research findings into improved clinical outcome for cancer patients, and has experience in patenting research discoveries.

Dr Verrills is currently supervising an Honours and three PhD students. She has a strong commitment to the advancement and promotion of medical research in our society. Dr Verrills was on the organising committee for the HMRI Conference on Translational Cancer Research, Newcastle, 2006, and again for the upcoming 2008 HMRI Cancer Conference. She also convenes local HMRI Cancer Seminars and sits on the HMRI Cancer Research Group Steering committee. As part of her community involvement she has disseminated her research through the print, radio, and television media, and has presented her research to the local community as a guest speaker at Rotary Clubs, the Hunter Seniors Association, and HMRI charity events.

Dr Nicole Verrills has established a number of productive collaborations with researchers both nationally and abroad. During her time at the Childrens Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA), Dr Verrills established collaborative projects with research groups outside her own, including Prof Michelle Haber of the Experimental Therapeutics Program, and Prof Murray Norris of the Molecular Diagnostics Program [NV7,10], Dr Richard Lock of the Leukaemia Biology Program [NV4], and Prof Glen Marshall of the Molecular Carcinogenesis Program [NV3]. She also established collaborations with Prof Peter Gunning from the Oncology Research Unit, The Childrens Hospital at Westmead [NV3,6], and international researchers Prof Brigit Hill from Pierre Fabre Research Institute, France [NV13] and Martin Larsen from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark [NV3], Dr Larsen is an international leader in phospho-proteomics, and Dr Verrills continues to collaborate with him at Newcastle University. During this time, Dr Verrills was also pivotal in establishing an ongoing collaboration between CCIA and APAF [NV8-10].

Since coming to Newcastle University, Dr Verrills has continued to establish research collaborations. Dr Verrills has established her own research program, Cancer Biology, which collaborates extensively with A/Prof Alistair Sim (Phosphatase Signalling) [NV1] and Prof Leonie Ashman (Oncology Research) at Newcastle University and the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI). She has been pivotal in establishing a proteomics research project as part of the Asthma and Airways CRC, together with A/Prof Ailstair Sim at Newcastle University and Prof Peter Gibson at the John Hunter Hospital. She has also instigated collaborations with international leaders in cancer research, such as A/Prof Danilo Perrotti from the Ohio State University, USA, with whom a co-authored paper on PP2A activating drugs in chronic myeloid leukaemia is currently under review, Dr William Hahn from the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, USA, and a leader in phosphatase research A/Prof Stefan Strack from the University of Iowa, USA.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (Honours), Macquarie University, 1999

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Research

Research keywords

• Breast Cancer
• Cancer
• Chemotherapy resistance
• Leukaemia
• Protein phosphatase 2A
• Proteomics
• Signal transduction

Research expertise

Dr Verrills research interests centre on understanding the molecular changes involved in cancer progression and chemotherapy resistance. By using powerful proteomics techniques, including being one of the first in Australia to use difference in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) technology, she has discovered novel protein alterations that confer chemotherapy resistance in childhood leukaemia. These proteins are now targets for ongoing investigations to develop improved therapies for relapsed leukaemia patients. Dr Verrills is currently investigating the role of the signaling protein, protein phosphatase 2A, in cancer. Using shRNA and overexpression transfection of normal and cancer cell lines, coupled with molecular and biochemical analyses such as PCR, immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, 2D-DIGE and mass spectrometry, she is determining the role of mutant PP2A and specific PP2A subunits in the development of leukaemia and breast cancer.

Fields of Research

Code	Description	Percentage
060100	Biochemistry And Cell Biology	75
111500	Pharmacology And Pharmaceutical Sciences	15
111200	Oncology And Carcinogenesis	10

Centres and Groups

Centre

• Hunter Medical Research Institute
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Cancer
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Cancer
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Chemical Biology

Group

• Hunter Medical Research Institute - Cancer

Memberships

Body relevant to professional practice.

• Member - American Association of Cancer Research
• Member - Australian Society for Medical Research

Committee/Associations (relevant to research).

• Committee member - HMRI Cancer Research Group Steering Committee
• Organising committee member - HMRI Conference on Translational Cancer Research

Appointments

Peter Doherty Biomedical Fellow National Health & Medical Research Council (Australia)

01/01/2006 - 01/07/2010

Awards

Honours.

1998	Bill Cantwell prize for Excellence in Biology Macquarie University (Australia) This award is given to exceptional students who top the honours year.

Other

2003	Australian Postgraduate Award 2001-2003 Macquarie University (Australia)

PhD Scholarship

2003	Australian Proteome Analysis Facility Scholarship 2001-2003 Australian Proteome Analysis Facility (Australia) This award gave a top-up to the APA for my PhD candidature.

Recognition.

2005

2005 - Doctor of Philosophy, Vice Chancellor Commendation. Macquarie University (Australia) My PhD thesis was passed without need for corrections and I received a letter of commendation from the Vice Chancellor for excellence in research.

2003

2003 - Cure Cancer Australia Foundations Young Researcher of the Year Award Finalist. Cure Cancer Australia Foundation (Australia) Cure Cancer Australia Foundation is a major supporter of cancer research, raising funds to provide competitive research funding schemes and research awards. The Young Researcher Awards are a major event within the Australian medical and scientific communities as the process draws the very best young cancer researchers from right around Australia.

Research Award.

2004	2004 - Cure Cancer Australia Foundation Award Cure Cancer Australia Foundation (Australia) This prize was awarded for the best postdoctoral or student presentation in cancer research at the National Scientific Meeting of the Australian Society for Medical Research.
2004	2004 - Merck Sharp Dohm Best of the Best Award Australian Health and Medical Research Congress Australian Society of Medical Research (Australia) This is a highly competitive and prestigious research award. There were 28 societies represented at this meeting and each society put forward their best candidate, drawn from postdoctoral scientists and students. I shared the overall top prize with one other candidate.
2004	Biochemical Journal Young Investigator Award - 12th International Conference on Second Messengers an The Biochemical Journal (Canada) The Biochemical Journal is Europes leading scientific journal in the field and gives the award to the most deserving young scientist based upon presentation of their work to a judging panel of international experts. This award is highly competitive and prestigious, with 157 international postdoctoral and student candidates in 2004.
2003	2003 - University of Sydney Medal for Excellence in Medical Research Australian Society of Medical Research (Australia) This prestigious award was presented for the best postdoctoral or student research presentation at the NSW state branch ASMR meeting.

Invitations

Amersham Biosciences Technical Seminar Series. Brisbane; Adelaide; Melbourne; Sydney. GE Biosciences, Australia (Conference Presentation - non published.)	2003
Protemics for cancer research Oncology Research Unit, Childrens Hospital, Westmead., Australia (Invitation to give research seminar)	2003
Proteome analyses reveals novel mechanisms of resistance to anticancer agents. Oncology Research Unit, Childrens Hospital, Westmead., Australia (Invitation to give research seminar)	2003
New technologies meets functional proteomics. ComBio 2002, Australia (Invited conference presentation)	2002

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Administrative

Administrative expertise

Dr Verrills undetakes many administrative tasks, including managing the budgets for her grants. Some duties include obtaining product quotes, ordering, safety and ethics applications, co-ordinating multi investigator grant applications, and organising research seminar series and workshops.

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Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Cancer
• Drug resistance
• Proteomics

Teaching expertise

Dr Verrills is a strong supporter of fostering research students. She has supervised two Honours student (both received 1st Class), and is currently supervising one Honours and three PhD students. Dr Verrills is a fulltime research academic, however she does guest lecture for 2nd and 3rd year BBiomed Sci courses in Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Cancer, and Drug Resistance.

Teaching interests

Dr Verrills provides guest lectures into the B Biomedical Science Undergraduate Course in the fields of cancer biology, drug resistance, proteomics and bioinformatics. She also supervises 3rd year research project students.