Dr Jacqueline Noll

I am the current recipient of the Veronika Sacco Clinical Cancer Research Fellowship in the Myeloma Research Laboratory, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide based in the Cancer Theme at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

I completed my PhD through the University of Adelaide in December 2011, with a thesis entitled “An Investigation of mutant p53 function”. In 2012, I began work as a post-doctoral researcher in the Myeloma Research Laboratory where my research interests have centred on the role of the bone marrow microenvironment in the development and progression of Multiple Myeloma.

Myeloma is a haematological malignancy that is characterised by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells within the bone marrow. Myeloma is the second most common blood cancer, and is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths worldwide each year. Although significant advances have been made in the treatment of myeloma in recent years, almost all patients will eventually relapse. My current research interests revolve around investigating the role of the bone marrow microenvironment in the development and progression of myeloma.

Myeloma develops almost exclusively within the bone marrow of patients, wherein myeloma plasma cells colonise discrete niches adjacent to bone and interact with cells of the bone marrow stroma. Stromal cells of the bone marrow niche have been well documented to support the pathogenesis of both primary and metastatic tumours, including myeloma. However, the identity of the cells within the bone marrow microenvironment that are essential for MM development remain to be determined. My primary research interest focuses on identifying a role for bone resident macrophages in mediating myeloma development with the aim of developing novel therapeutic strategies to target the bone microenvironment to limit disease progression.

Current Projects include:

• Investigation of the role of the bone marrow microenvironment in the development of myeloma
• Identification of bone resident macrophage populations involved in mediating myeloma development