| BAppSci UTS, PhD UNSW
Group Leader, Cancer Cell Development Group
Contact: Dr Karen MacKenzie
Tel: +61 2 9382 0048
Email: k.mackenzie 'at' unsw.edu.au
Dr MacKenzie was recruited to CCIA in 2000 to establish a new research area following a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She was appointed as group leader of the Cancer Cell Development Group in 2002 and holds a conjoint appointment as Senior Lecturer at the University of NSW.
Dr MacKenzie’s investigations at CCIA are focussed on the molecular pathways that regulate cell life span and prevent cancerous growth. The molecular alterations that are responsible for cancer cellular immortality are central to these investigations. In addition, Dr MacKenzie’s research group is investigating the mechanisms that control growth of immature blood cells (haematopoietic stem cells). These studies will provide insight to haematopoietic disorders that arise as a long term consequence of chemotherapy, and also have implications in stem cell transplantation for treatment for leukaemia and solid tumours.
Dr MacKenzie concurrently holds Career Development Fellowships awarded by the National Health & Medical Research Council and Cancer Institute NSW. Dr MacKenzie has also been awarded project funds to support her research at CCIA from NSW Cancer Council, the Cancer Institute NSW, Concern Foundation (USA), Cure Cancer Australia , the Perpetual Trustees and the University of NSW. She has published 30 papers, including two book chapters, and has held two provisional patents. She was the recipient of an American Association for Cancer Research-Pharmacia Scholar in Cancer Research Award (2001).
Dr MacKenzie supervises PhD and Honours Students at the University of NSW. Her students have been recipients of numerous awards and distinctions at local, national and international conferences. Dr MacKenzie also gives a series of guest lectures on ‘The Molecular Biology of Cancer’ within the undergraduate ‘Human Biochemistry’ course at the University of NSW. She is an active member of the UNSW Institutional Biosafety Committee and the CCIA Research Management Committee, and also the Convenor of the CCIA Invited Speaker Seminar Series.
Key publications
1. Schuller, C.S., Jankowski, K., MacKenzie, K.L. Telomere length of cord blood-derived CD34+ progenitors predicts erythroid proliferative potential. Leukemia In Press (Accepted 30 January 2007). (Published on line - - 08/03/2007;1-9).
2. Milyavsky, M., Shats, I., Cholostoy, A., Brosh, R., Buganim, Y., Weisz, L., Kogan, I., Cohen, M., Shatz, M., Madar, S., Kalo, E., Goldfinger, N., Yuan J., Ron, S., MacKenzie, K., Eden, A., Rotter, V. Inactivation of myocardin and p16 during malignant transformation contributes to a differentiation defect. Cancer Cell 11 (2):133-146. 2007.
3. Wen, V.W., Wu K., Baksh S., Hinshelwood R.A., Lock R.B., Clark S.J., Moore M.A.S., MacKenzie, K.L. Telomere-driven karyotypic complexity concurs with p16INK4a inactivation in TP53 competent immortal endothelial cells. Cancer Res 66 (22):10691-10700. 2006.
4. Taylor, L., James, A., Schuller, C.S., Brce, J., Lock, R.B., MacKenzie, K.L. Inactivation of p16INK4a, with retention of pRB and P53/p21cip1 function, in human MRC5 fibroblasts that overcome a telomere-independent crisis during immortalization. J. Biol. Chem. 279 (42): 43634-45. 2004.
5. MacKenzie, K.L., Franco, S., Naiyer, A.J., May, C., Sadelain, M., Rafii, S., Moore. M.A.S. Malignant transformation of human endothelial cells through ectopic expression of hTERT, SV40T and N-ras. Oncogene 21:4200-4211. 2002. |
