Flinders cancer researchers have been awarded a Flinders Foundation Health Seed Grant to make headway in the fight against Australia’s third most common cancer – colorectal cancer.

Dr Julie-Ann Hulin will take a closer look at a recently discovered enzyme called UDP-glycosyltransferase 8 (UGT8) which has been found to chemically modify bile acids by adding sugars to them to change their function.

Her project will investigate whether UGT8 controls a genetic signalling pathway in colorectal cancer cells and whether UGT8 controls intestinal stem cell growth, and thus colorectal cancer growth.
It is hoped this work may show that inhibiting the UGT8 enzyme is a new way to target the onset and progression of colorectal cancer.

This research will benefit those with colorectal cancer, or those at risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Project title: The bile-acid metabolizing UGT8 enzyme controls the FXR/Wnt signalling nexus in colon cancer.

Lead researcher: Dr Julie-Ann Hulin