Science, Technology and Engineering

Hulett Laboratory

Department of Biochemistry

Biosketch - Dr Mark Hulett

Mark completed his BSc(Hons) in 1990, graduating with first class honours from the University of Melbourne. His doctoral studies, undertaken at the Austin Research Institute in Melbourne, were completed in 1994, where he made a major contribution to defining the structure/function relationship of an important family of immunoglobulin receptors on leukocytes - Fc receptors. Mark was then awarded an NHMRC Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue his work on Fc receptors at the Austin Research Institute.

In 1998, Mark moved to the John Curtin School of Medical Research to join the Cancer and Vascular Biology Group, and over the last 5 years, has established his own laboratory which focuses on understanding the molecular basis of cell invasion, with a particular interest in inflammation, tumour cell metastasis, and angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation). In 1999, Mark was successful in cloning the gene for human heparanase, an enzyme that degrades heparan sulphate, one of the critical structural components of the basement membrane in blood vessels. The vascular basement membrane is the major barrier to the spread of metastatic tumour cells, leukocytes migrating to sites of inflammation, and migrating endothelial cells during angiogenesis, and heparanase expression by these cells is essential for them to breach this barrier. The cloning of heparanase had eluded researchers for over 20 years. Mark's work represents a significant breakthrough in cancer research, as it finally opens the door to allow the direct study this enzyme in the growth and metastasis of cancer, with the potential to develop novel anti-cancer drugs. More recently, Mark was awarded a 5-year Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship to continue his research on heperanase, and was one of the Chief Investigators on a successful NHMRC Program Grant awarded to study the mechanisms involved in blood vessel formation, injury and repair.

Mark has published over 50 articles in refereed scientific journals, and has presented at numerous national and international meetings. The impact of Mark's work has been recognised with the 2002 Howard Florey Young Investigator Award and a Tall Poppy Award. Mark is past-President (2008) of the Australian Society for Medical Research. He brings to La Trobe $1.3 million in research funding through 2 NHMRC project grants and an Association of International Cancer Research project grant to continue his work on tumour progression and inflammation. He will also be contributing to the Hexima research team by testing a number of their molecules as potential anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents.