Professor Hubert Hondermarck

Professor Hubert Hondermarck
Equipment Grant
2017 Equipment Grant
Project Grant
2017 Project Grant
Project Grant
2015 Project Grant
Project Grant
2014 Project Grant
Equipment Grant
2011 Equipment Grant
Project Grant
2011 Project Grant

What are your research interests?

  • Role of the nervous system in cancer initiation and progression. 
  • Cross-talk between nerves and cancer cells, and its impact on tumour growth and metastasis. 
  • Molecular mediators and growth factors produced by the nervous system to activate or inhibit cancer.

Why did you get into research?

To put it provocatively, I believe that knowledge is somehow boring.  What is really interesting is what we don't know and don't understand. That is basically why I got into research. My interest is always towards the hidden and mysterious side. Despite considerable progress, cancer is still a mysterious disease and in particular the impact of the brain, mind and nervous system in cancer initiation and progression is largely unknown.

What would be the ultimate goal for your research?

To contribute to a better understanding of the mind-body connection and in particular its influence on cancer initiation and progression. The ultimate goal is to use this innovative knowledge to develop new strategies to prevent cancer occurrence and to cure it more naturally and with no side effects.

Future Focus

Manipulate the nerve-cancer cell cross-talk and use it to develop new strategies to prevent and treat cancer.

Brief Profile

Professor Hubert Hondermarck obtained a PhD in neurobiochemistry at the University of Lille in France and was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California in Irvine where he investigated the molecular mechanisms of neuronal cell differentiation. He founded a research unit at the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (U908 INSERM, growth factor signaling and functional proteomics in breast cancer) and directed it for 10 years.

In 2011, he moved to the University of Newcastle to start a new program on the function of neurotrophic growth factors (molecules that increase neuron growth) and the impact of the nervous system in cancer initiation and progression. 

Prof Hubert Hondermarck has published more than 100 scientific publications and books and has presented his research at many international conferences. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) and a member of the editorial board of several scientific journals.  

Specialised/Technical Skills

  • Neuronal and cancer cell cultures
  • Molecular and proteomic analyses
  • Functional analysis of cancer cell survival/death, proliferation and metastasis
  • Methodologies to study neuronal growth and differentiation.

Affiliations

2017

A therapy against pancreatic cancer and associated pain
Project Grant
Researchers:

Prof Hubert Hondermarck, Prof Marjorie Walker, Dr Phillip Jobling, Dr Rick Thorne

Description:

Recent discoveries, including from our laboratory, have revealed the important role played by nerves in cancer progression, and targeting nerve outgrowth in the tumour microenvironment is an emerging innovative strategy in oncology. In pancreatic cancer, it has been shown that the outgrowth of sensory nerves in the microenvironment is necessary to cancer progression and stimulates pain.

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MRSP Equipment Grant
Equipment Grant
Researchers:
Description:

ChemiDoc MP System - this equipment will help directly facilitate the advanced research needs of >20 different groups of HMRI: Cancer (Dun, Hondermarck,  Verrills, Skelding, Tanwar, Weidenhofer, Scarlet, Bowden, Thorne etc), Brain and Mental Health  (Cairns, Dickson, Dayas, Jobling, Smith, Brichta, Lim etc) Pregnancy and Reproduction (Nixon,  Aitken, De Iuliis, Roman, Bromfield, Pringle) Information Based Medicine (Scott, Milward, Kiejda), VIVA (Hansbro, Starkey) and therefore an estimated >80 HDR students, ECRs and research assistants. 

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2015

Nerves and Neurotrophins as New Therapeutic Targets in Cervical Cancer
Project Grant
Researchers:

Professor Hubert Hondermarck, Phil Jobling, Marjorie Walker, Janine Lombard, Jay Pundavela, Sam Faulkner

Description:

A new paradigm shift in oncology has revealed the role of nerves in cancer initiation and progression.

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2014

Prostate Cancer: A new protein for improving diagnosis, prognosis and treatment
Project Grant
Researchers:

Dr Severine Roselli, Professor Hubert Hondermarck

Description:

Bone metastases of prostate cancer are particularly painful and there are no relieving treatments.

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2011

Does Ubiquitination control the altered expression of tetraspanin proteins in Breast Cancer? - HMRI Project Grant
Project Grant
Researchers:
High-Resolution Isoelectric Phosphoprotein Signalling System for Signalling Research, Biomarker Validation and Drug Development
Equipment Grant
Researchers: