Michelle Brown

Dr Michelle Wong-Brown is a Researcher at the University of Newcastle's School of Medicine and Public Health, affiliated with the Centre for Drug Repurposing and Medicines Research (CDRMR) and Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI). Her work focuses on DNA repair pathways in chemoresistant cancers, particularly high-grade serous ovarian cancer, with emphasis on homologous recombination deficiency and drug repurposing strategies.

• PhD in Biomedical Sciences (University of Newcastle)
• HMRI Karen Brown Breast Cancer Travel Award recipient (2014)
• Active in clinical trial development for novel drug combinations

Her research bridges genomic instability, epigenetic regulation, and translational oncology, with significant contributions to familial breast cancer genetic testing and ovarian cancer prognostic markers. Current projects include PARP-targeted therapies and immune checkpoint priming in resistant cancers.

Scientific awards and grants include:

• NSW Regional Cancer Research Network Fellowship (2025)
• Australian Program for Drug Repurposing (MRFF $2.8M grant, 2020)
• Hunter Medical Research Institute grants (2014-2024)

She supervises multiple PhD students in drug repurposing and cancer epigenetics, collaborating with international researchers across 14 countries.