Professor Claudine Bonder is an expert in vascular biology with 15 years experience having trained both in Australia and overseas. She currently heads the Vascular Biology and Cell Trafficking Laboratory at the Centre for Cancer Biology in Adelaide. During her career, Claudine has been awarded the prestigious Early Career Research Award from the Australian Academy of Sciences in 2005, a SA Young Tall Poppy in 2010, was an ASMR Leading Light finalist in 2013 and won the Women in Innovation (emerging innovator) in 2016.

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Current areas of interest:

Vasculogenic mimicry in cancer progression: For solid tumours to grow they require access to the blood supply for the provision of oxygen and nutrients. Highly vascularised tumours correlate directly with poor survival for patients with e.g. melanoma and breast cancer. Tumour vascularisation can occur via a number of processes including angiogenesis (the proliferation of existing blood vessel endothelial cells (ECs), which form the inner monolayer of blood vessels) as well as an EC-independent manner known as vasculogenic mimicry (VM, wherein vascular-like channels are formed by the cancer cells themselves). Our work in melanoma and breast cancer has identified key growth factors and adhesion molecules which underpin VM and are now of interest in terms of developing new treatment opportunities for cancer sufferers.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in disease: With a focus on how the vasculature contributes to health and disease, we have a strong programme on endothelial progenitor cells (the precursors of cells which form the inner lining of all blood vessels). Having recently identified a suite of novel surface expressed proteins by EPCs we are have begun to unravel how EPCs contribute to health and disease. For example, in Type 1 Diabetes, pancreatic islet transplantation is the only current cure, but success is limited by death of insulin producing beta cells post-transplantation. EPCs have the potential to improve islet engraftment and production of insulin. Our work understanding the critical cross-talk between the vasculature and beta islet cells together with smart surface materials will advance our ability to cure diabetes.

Revolutionising vascular devices: Vascular occlusions are a major contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and are a leading cause of death worldwide. Overcoming these blockages requires insertion of stents or artificial vascular grafts to maintain vessel diameter and has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Despite recent advances in device technology and post-operative care, clotting and scarring remain a significant health concern which can be life-threatening. Unfortunately, more often than not, anti-clotting medications are required long term and/or more surgical intervention is required. As part of the Cell Therapy Manufacturing Co-operative Research Centre, our team is testing an innovative concept that modified stents (first coated with a patented anti-adhesive surface (patent application PCT/2016/901008) and then topped with our novel peptides to specifically capture EPCs/ECs (patent US13/882806) will provide the rapid revascularisation of implanted devices long sought by surgeons to treat vascular occlusions with minimal intervention and medication.

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