Cancer Group personnel:

Dr Jay Czarnecki (Group Leader)

Evaline Sakabetis (Graduate Assistant)

Anthony Vafiadis (Graduate Assistant)

Cancer Group:

The cancer group is led by Jay Czarnecki, originally from the USA, but a resident of Australia for the past 14 years.  After his education and training in the USA at Duke University, Yale Medical School, University of Wyoming and the University of Wisconsin, he has gained extensive experience in the development and validation of diagnostic assays while working for ICI Australia over a period of 10 years.

The main current priority for the group is to conduct further clinical testing of the SIMA-4D3 kit in a large number of patients in order to further investigate the cancers with which it reacts and to assess its usefulness in monitoring the efficacy of cancer treatment. New applications for the anti-mucin antibodies will be developed for accessing the spread of cancer cells into tissues surrounding a tumor. Additionally, research by the Cancer Group will continue with the aim of identifying new tests which will enable detection of gastrointestinal cancers in individual cancer patients who are negative for all current tests despite suffering from the condition. The longer term goals of the Centre include further research directed towards the development of a range of new cancer diagnostics aimed at the detection of cancers that occur in a variety of tissues.

Adenocarcinoma of the ascending colon demonstrating antibody staining of extracellular mucinous pools and neoplastic tissue