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Laboratory Members
A/Prof Erik (Rik) Thompson
Group Leader
VBCRC Breast Cancer Invasion and Metastasis Unit
St Vincent's Institute
Telephone: +61 3 9288 2480
Facsimile: +61 3 9416 2676
Email: rik@medstv.unimelb.edu.au
Other Positions:
- Associate Professor and Director of Research, University of Melbourne Department of Surgery, St. Vincent's Hospital
- Director of Research, Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery, St. Vincent's Hospital
Previous Positions:
| 1990-1991 | Research Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology & Lombardi Cancer, Georgetown University Medical Center, N.W. Washington, DC, USA. |
| 1992-1997 | Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Lombardi Cancer Research Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, N.W. Washington, DC, USA. |
| 1994-1997 | Assistant Professor (Adjunct; Research), Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Georgetown University Medical Center, N.W. Washington, DC. USA. |
| 1997-present | Head, VBCRC Invasion and Metastasis Laboratory, St. Vincent's Institute. |
| 1997-present | Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Australia. |
| 1999-2002 | Associate Director, St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia. |
Education:
| 1978 | B.Sc. Honours; Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia: Isolation of Bacteria Capable of Growth on Barbiturates and Isolation of the Barbiturase. |
| 1986 | Ph.D., Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia: Studies on Extracellular Matrix in the Peritubular Zone of the Rat Testis. |
| 1986 | Research Fellow, School of Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. |
| 1987 - 1988 | Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Anomalies, NIDR, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA. |
| 1988-1989 | Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Vincent T. Lombardi Cancer Research Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, N.W. Washington DC 20007, USA. |
Awards:
| 1972-1974 | Queensland Secondary School Scholarship |
| 1978-1985 | Griffith University Postgraduate Education Scholarship |
| 1986 | Fogarty International Postdoctoral Fellowship |
| 1987-1988 | NIH Breast Cancer Study Group Postdoctoral Fellowship |
Scientific Involvement:
| Societies | |
| 2004-present | Founding President, Australasian Microarray & Associated Technologies Association |
| 2002-present | Board Member, Metastasis Research Society (International) |
| 2001-present | Member, Translation Research Working Group, Australian Prostate Cancer Collaboration |
| 2001-present | Member, Management Committee, Australian Prostate Cancer Collaboration |
| 2001-2003 | Research Coordinator, Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium |
| 2000-2003 | President, Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand |
| 1999-present | Convenor, ACRF DNA Resource Committee, Australia |
| Editorial Boards for Scientific Journals | |
| 1995-present | The Breast Journal |
| 1995-present | Clinical and Experimental Metastasis |
| Conference Organisations | |
| 2005/2006 | Co-Convenor, 5th Discovery Science and Biotechnology Conference, 2006, Melbourne |
| 2004/2005 | Co-Convenor, 4th Discovery Science and Biotechnology Conference, May 4-6, 2005 Melbourne |
| 2004/2005 | International Committee, 2nd International EMT Conference, Vancouver, Oct 1-3, 2005 |
| 2003 | Co-convenor, 1st International EMT Conference, Pt. Douglas, Australia, Sep, 2003 |
| 2003 | Co-convenor, 5th Australian Prostate Cancer Collaboration / 4th National Prostate Symposium, Melbourn |
| 2002 | Co-convenor, 4th Melbourne MMP Minisymposium |
| 2002 | Program Committee, Australian Health and Medical Research Congress, Melbourne |
| 2001 | Co-Convenor, 3rd Australian Matrix Metalloproteinases Symposium, Sydney, October 2002 |
| 2001 | Co-Convenor, VBCRC Breast Cancer Research Conference, Melbourne, 2001 |
| 2000 | Co-Convenor, 24th Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Conference, Couran Cove, Qld. |
| 2000 | Convenor, 2nd Melbourne MMP Minisymposium, Melbourne |
| 1999 | Convenor, 1st Melbourne MMP Minisymposium, Melbourne |
| University / Institute Service: | |
| 2005 | Member, Tissue Bank Management Committee, Shared SVH/PeterMac Tissue Bank |
| 2004 | Member, Cancer Services Working Group, St. Vincent's Hospital |
| 2004 | St. Vincent's Hospital Representative, Victorian Tissue Banking Initiative, STI (Stage 2) application |
| 2003 | St. Vincent's Hospital Mouse House Building Project Committee |
| 2002 | St. Vincent's Hospital Research Development Committee |
| 2002-2004 | Bernard O'Brien Executive and Intellectual Property Committees |
| 1999-2004 | PhD and MS Thesis review, UNSW, Univ. Qld, QUT, Flinders University, UWA |
| 1998-2002 | St. Vincent's Institute Intellectual Property Committee |
| 1996-1997 | NIH Extracellular Matrix Interest Group Steering Committee: Member |
| 1996-1997 | Lombardi Internal Grant Review Committee: Member |
| 1996-1997 | Lombardi Cell Culture Core Oversight Committee |
| 1994-1997 | Lombardi 2D-Gel Electrophoresis Core Oversight Committee: Member |
| 1993-1997 | Cell Biology Department Faculty Meetings: Secretary to the Faculty: Member |
| 1993-1997 | Lombardi Library Committee: Chair |
| 1993-1997 | Lombardi Basic Science Advisory Committee: Member |
| 1992-1994 | Lombardi Cell Culture Core Oversight Committee: Member |
Research Interests:
Extracellular matrix, particularly basement membrane, in cancer invasion and metastasis and also tissue engineering. Matrix metalloproteinases as targets in breast cancer progression, the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer progression. Key molecular interests in MMPs, ECM proteins, SPARC, Galectin-3, integrins, cell adhesion, migration, invasion.
Selected Publications:
- (CV#15) Thompson, E.W., Paik, S., Brnner, N., Sommers, C.L., Zugmaier, G., Clarke, R., Shima, T.B., Torri, J., Donahue, S., Lippman, M.E., Martin, G.R., & Dickson, R.B.-Association of increased basement membrane-invasiveness with absence of estrogen receptor and expression of vimentin in human breast cancer cell lines. J. Cell. Physiol, 150:pp.534-544 (1992). This study provides the basis for many studies on differential invasiveness of breast cancer cell lines.
- (CV#22). Azzam, H.S., & Thompson, E.W.-Collagen-induced activation of the 72 kDa type IV collagenase in normal and malignant fibroblastoid cells. Cancer Research, 52:pp. 4540-4544 (1992). This was the fist report that collagen could cause activation of matrix metalloproteinase-2. This was validated by many other researchers since, in many different systems. This continues to be an important area of study in cancer biology (including our laboratory, with tumour microenvironment (e.g. stromal collagen) becoming a major focus area at the NIH in recent years.
- (CV#26). Azzam HS, Arand G, Lippman ME, Thompson EW.-Association of MMP-2 activation potential with metastatic progression in human breast cancer cell lines independent of MMP-2 production. J Natl Cancer Inst Nov 3; 85(21): pp. 1758-1764 (1993) This paper was the first to provide a link between the mesenchymal nature of certain cancer cell lines, their invasive capability, and their capacity to activate the MMP-2. This underpinned further interest in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
- (CV#61). Gilles, C., Polette, M., Birembaut, P., & Thompson, E.W.-Collagen type I-induced MT1-MMP expression and MMP-2 activation: Implication in the metastatic progression of breast carcinoma. Lab. Invest. 76:pp. 651-60 (1997). This paper consolidated the earlier work on the ability of collagen to stimulate MMP-2-activation, and co-localised these entities in cancer specimens.
- (CV#64). Yu, M., Sitlani, S., Sato, H., Seiki, M. Mueller, S., & Thompson, E.W.-Tyrosine phosphorylation mediates ConA-induced MT1-MMP expression and MMP-2 activation in MDA-MB-231 human breast carcinoma cells. Cancer Res. 57:pp. 5028-32 (1997). The first paper to begin to address the intracellular signalling involved in regulating MT1-MMP functionality. See others on Calcium (FEBS Letts. 412/3: 568-572, 1997) and cAMP (Clin. Exp. Metast, 16: 185-191; 1998).
- (CV#70). Gilles, C., Basuk, J., Pulyaeva, L., Sage, H., Foidart, J-M., & Thompson, E.W.-SPARC induces MMP-2-activation in human breast cancer cell lines. Cancer Research, 58:pp. 5529-5536 (1998) SPARC had been implicated previously in MMP regulation, but not in MMP-2 activation. Being a collagen-binding protein, its role in a collagen-regulated process is provocative, and remains to be fully characterised in regard to mechanism.
- (CV#76). Ruangpanit, N., Chan, D., Holmbeck, K., Birkedal-Hansen, H., Polarek, J., Yang, C., Bateman J.F., & Thompson, E.W.-Gelatinase A (MMP-2) activation by skin fibroblasts: Dependence on MT1-MMP expression and fibrillar collagen form. Matrix Biology, 20:pp.193-203 (2001). This paper used fibroblasts derived from MT1-MMP-deficient mice to show for the first time that the strong correlations between collagen-increased MT1-MMP and collagen-increased MMP-2 activation did indeed reflect a functional dependence on MT1-MMP. See also Ruangpanit et al, Exp. Cell Res., 272: 109-118 (2002), which extended this work into 3-dimensional, ascorbate-treated cultures.
- (CV#85). Ackland, M.L., Newgreen, D., Price, J. T., Fridman, M., Waltham, M., Arvanitis, A., Minichiello, J. & Thompson, E.W.-Persistence of N-Cadherin but reduction of E-Cadherin after EGF-induced epithelio-mesenchymal transition in PMC42-LA human breast carcinoma cells. Lab Invest. 83:pp.435-448 (2003) Our first publication on the novel PMC42 system, a model for EGF-induced human breast cancer EMT.
- (CV#88). Tester, A., Waltham, M., Oh, S-J., Bae, S.N., Bills, M.M., Walker, E.C., Kern, F.G., Stetler-Stevenson, W.G., Lippman, M.E., & Thompson, E.W.-ProMMP-2 transfection increases orthotopic primary growth and experimental metastasis of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells in nude mice. Cancer Research, 64:652-658 (2004) This study proved that additional MMP-2 stimulates the growth of the MDA-MB-231 cell line at the primary site, and also stimulates metastasis after intracardiac injection especially to bone. See also Sounni et al FASEB J. 16(6): 555-564 (2002), which showed stimulation of MCF-7 growth with MT1-MMP and MMP-2.
- (CV#97). Lafleur, MA., Drew, AF., de Sousa, EL., Blick, T., Bills, MM., Walker, EC., Williams, ED., Waltham, M., & Thompson, EW.-Upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in breast cancer xenografts: A major induction of stromal MMP-13. Int J Cancer. 114: 544-554, 2005. (I.F. = 4.375). Since we know the MDA-MB-231 xenografts to be sensitive to growth inhibition effects of MMP inhibitors, we used species-specific, quantitative RT-PCR to determine which MMPs were present, and whether they were being produced by the tumour (human) or stromal (mouse) cells. Strong inductions of murine MT1-MMP and MMP-13 were seen.
- (CV#99). PRICE, J.T., Quinn, J.M.W., SIMS, N.A., MOORE, J., WALDECK, K., DOCHERTY, S.E., MYERS, D., NAKAMURA, A., WALTHAM, M.C., GILLESPIE, M.T. & THOMPSON, E.W. The HSP90 inhibitor, 17-AAG, enhances osteoclast formation and potentiates bone metastasis of a human breast cancer cell line. Cancer Research, Cancer Research. Accepted for publication Cancer Research) March 2005. This was our first paper to come from the gene array approaches to understanding molecular determinants of bone metastasis. HSP-90b was one of the differentially expressed genes, however, as described here, current inhibitors have deleterious effects on bone metastasis.
- (CV#101) THOMPSON EW & NEWGREEN, DF: Carcinoma invasion and metastasis: A role for epithelial mesenchymal transition? Cancer Research , July 2005, In Press. This was the first invited for and against minireview targeting controversial areas in cancer biology. It is a counterpoint to a rather traditionalist reluctance to embrace new concepts.
