Dr Ashleigh Poh

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

More about Dr Ashleigh Poh

I have the opportunity as a scientist to collaborate with many different people from all over the world, including clinicians, patients, and other researchers from multidisciplinary fields. Working together towards the common goal of better understanding cancer is a humbling and rewarding experience.

I completed my PhD in Medical Biology at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, in 2017. My PhD project focused on the role of myeloid-specific Src-family kinase protein Hematopoietic Cell Kinase (HCK) in the development and progression of colon cancer.

Hck is a protein that is expressed in a type of immune cell known as a macrophage, which are a major component of solid cancers. Macrophages usually have two major roles; they can act as “garbage collectors” to remove unwanted debris and damaged cells, or they can act as “nurses” that facilitate wound-healing at sites of injury. My research showed that the more Hck a macrophage has, the more it is able to promote tumour growth. Rather than acting as “garbage collectors” that clean up cancer cells, these macrophages become excessive “wound-healers” that help cancer cells survive. My research also showed that when Hck was inhibited after using an anti-Hck drug, these macrophages lost their ability to promote colon tumour growth.

I am now a postdoctoral researcher at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, where I am supported by an NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellowship. I am currently building on my initial findings by investigating the role of HCK in other cancer types, including breast cancer and melanoma. My research provides much needed insight into the mechanisms by which HCK activation in immune cells promotes tumour growth. These findings will support the development of novel anti-HCK drugs with greater specificity and efficacy.

Education

PhD, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and The University of Melbourne

Bsc (Honours), The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and The University of Melbourne

Current Appointments

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Cancer and Inflammation Laboratory, ONJCRI

Honorary Fellow, La Trobe University

Achievements

2019-2022 NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellowship

2019 Cancer Australia PDCCRS Research Grant

2018 American Association of Cancer (AACR) – Debbie’s Dream Foundation-Stupid Strong Gastric Cancer Fellowship

2017 Cancer Council of Victoria Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship

Recent Publications

Poh AR, et al. Hematopoietic Cell Kinase (Hck) as a therapeutic target in immune and cancer cells. Oncotarget 2015; 6(18):15742-71.

Poh AR, et. al. Mouse models for gastric cancer: Matching models to biological questions. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2016;31(7):1257-72.

Poh AR, et al. Inhibition of Hematopoietic Cell Kinase (HCK) Activity Suppresses Myeloid Cell-mediated Colon Cancer Progression. Cancer Cell 2017; 31(4).

Ernst M, O’Donoghue R, Poh A. Targeting H(i)ck education for cancer therapy?. Oncoscience 2017;4(11-12) doi.org/10.18632/oncoscience.388

Poh A, Ernst M. Targeting macrophages in cancer: From bench to bedside. Frontiers in Oncology, 2018.

Email: ashleigh.poh@onjcri.org.au

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