Moira Graves

Dr. Moira Graves serves as Lab and Safety Manager in the DNA Repair Group within the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle's College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Newcastle, a Bachelor of Applied Science (Medical Lab Science) from Queensland Institute of Technology, and a Graduate Diploma in Management Studies from the University of Southern Queensland.

Dr. Graves' research focuses on cancer biology, particularly melanoma and glioblastoma. Her work centers on understanding why some patients respond to immunotherapy while others don't, investigating how cancer cells evade the immune system, and developing strategies to 'reboot' the immune system using off-patent drugs. She has made significant contributions to understanding DNA methylation in immune cells and its relationship to cancer progression, with recent work focusing on repurposing existing drugs to enhance immunotherapy effectiveness in treatment-resistant melanoma and glioblastoma.

Analysis of Dr. Graves' 15 most recent publications reveals a clear research trajectory from multiple sclerosis epigenetics to cancer immunology. Her early work examined DNA methylation in autoimmune disease, which transitioned into cancer research where she applies similar epigenetic approaches to understand treatment resistance in melanoma. More recently, her focus has shifted toward glioblastoma, exploring DNA damage response mechanisms and tumor vasculature. A consistent theme across her publications is the investigation of immune system interactions with cancer cells and strategies to enhance immunotherapy effectiveness.

Dr. Graves has secured significant research funding, with seven grants totaling $622,550. Her major projects include 'PRIME002: Early phase II study of Azacitidine and Carboplatin priming for Avelumab in patients with advanced melanoma who are resistant to immunotherapy' ($180,000 from Merck Group) and 'Early phase high throughput studies of cannabinoids using new understandings of glioblastoma biology' ($190,000 from Hunter Medical Research Institute). She has supervised multiple PhD students, serving as co-supervisor for projects investigating cannabinoids for glioblastoma treatment, tumor vasculature in glioblastoma, and DNA repair inhibitors for brain cancer.

As Lab and Safety Manager of the DNA Repair Group, Dr. Graves leads research on treatment-resistant melanoma and has recently expanded her work to glioblastoma. Her team has developed two clinical trials for patients who initially respond to treatment but then develop resistance. She collaborates extensively with Associate Professor Nikola Bowden and has established partnerships with Merck and the Mark Hughes Foundation. Her research approach emphasizes repurposing existing, affordable drugs to improve cancer treatment outcomes while maintaining patients' quality of life.