Distinguished Professor
Judith Clements

Biography

Distinguished Professor Judith Clements is a Principal Research Fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia and leads the Cancer Program at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, QUT, based at the Translational Research Institute on the Princess Alexandra Hospital Biomedical Precinct. She is also Scientific Director of the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre - Queensland located on this campus. Her areas of expertise include prostate and ovarian cancer, with respect to the Kallikrein proteases and their utility as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cancer progression. She has over 190 publications in scientific journals and collaborates widely with colleagues in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe. She is the Chair of the national prostate cancer tissue bank – the Australian Prostate Cancer BioResource, which is a key resource that underpins prostate cancer research nationally and is co-leader of the Queensland node of the international genome wide association study consortium for prostate cancer, PRACTICAL. She is Chair of the Queensland Board of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) and a member of the PCFA National Board. She has been a member of the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute Council since 2002. She was recently elected as a member of the International Proteolysis Society Council for 2014-2017. She was awarded the Queensland Women in Technology Biotech Outstanding Achievement Award for 2012, and the prestigious title of Distinguished Professor at QUT in 2013.

Research theme: Health

Research discipline: Cell and Molecular Biosciences

Research program: Hormone Dependent Cancer

Research area

Functional role of Kallikrein proteases in prostate, breast and ovarian cancer. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and other members of the Kallikrein protease family are best known for their biomarker utility. This project aims to determine their functional roles (and therapeutic potential) by identifying their in vivo substrates. Role of variant Kallikrein isoforms in cancer. The Kallikrein protease family of 15 genes has 780 various transcripts many of which are only expressed in cancer. This project aims to determine if these isoforms have specific functional roles in cancer progression. Role of Kallikrein proteases in bone metastasis. Bone metastasis is the typical outcome of advanced prostate cancer but little is known of the underlying mechanisms. This project aims to determine what role PSA and the related Kallikrein proteases play in this disease. Predictive and prognostic biomarker potential of Kallikrein proteases. This project aims to determine if there are genetic changes (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) in the Kallikrein genes that may be predictors of prostate or ovarian cancer.

Areas of expertise

• Prostate cancer
• Ovarian and breast cancer
• Biomarkers for cancer progression
• Kallikrein proteases
• Therapeutic targets.

Selected research projects

• Functional role of Kallikrein proteases in prostate, breast and ovarian cancer
• Role of variant Kallikrein isoforms in cancer
• Role of Kallikrein proteases in bone metastasis
• Predictive and prognostic biomarker potential of Kallikrein proteases.