| Project title | Defining Extracellular Vesicle Molecular Signatures in Patient Body Fluids for Precision Monitoring of Glioblastoma Progression |
|---|---|
Grant Amount | $575,000 |
Investigator Team | Early-Career Fellow Dr. Susannah Hallal, Dr. Kimberley Alexander, Dr. Laveniya Satgunaseelan, Dr. Agota Tusezi, A/Prof. Brindha Shivalingam, A/Prof. Hao-Wen Sim, A/Prof. Fatemeh Vafaee |
Grant Type | Early Career Fellowship |
Years | 2025-2030 |
This research project focuses on developing non-invasive blood and urine tests to improve early detection and monitoring of glioblastoma (GBM) by analysing extracellular vesicles (EVs)—tiny nanoparticles released by cells that carry a wide variety of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other bioactive molecules.
Dr. Hallal has identified GBM molecular patterns, or ‘fingerprints’, across hundreds of patient blood and urine samples, that detect glioblastoma recurrence with near-perfect accuracy. Now, Dr. Hallal is refining this method using artificial intelligence (AI) and integrating protein, RNA, and lipid biomarkers to enhance diagnostic accuracy.
With access to serial GBM samples from clinical trials collected across the entire disease course, Dr. Hallal aims to expand the precision of the GBM ‘fingerprints’ through molecular analyses and evaluate the expanded ‘fingerprints’ against current neuroimaging methods for routine patient monitoring.
This research has the potential to revolutionise GBM patient care by enabling earlier detection of tumour recurrence and guiding timely treatment interventions. Over the next five years, the goal is to establish validated EV fingerprints that can be translated into clinical practice, ultimately improving both quality of life and survival outcomes for brain cancer patients.
“This fellowship is a tremendous honour and privilege for me and has come at a very pivotal time in my research career. It is an immense milestone, providing me with the time, support and funding I need to generate research that will positively impact patients.”