Rikki Brown

Rikki Brown is a Researcher affiliated with the UWA Medical School at the University of Western Australia and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. She is completing her PhD in head and neck cancer, focusing on microRNA roles in cancer biology and therapeutic applications. Her research addresses aggressive cancers with poor prognoses, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Education: BHealthSci (UWA, 2010), BMedSci(Hons) via the School of Pharmacology (UWA, 2012). She works under Prof. Peter Leedman, contributing to studies on microRNA mechanisms in cancer progression, drug resistance, and metastasis.

Research interests include microRNA-driven therapeutic strategies, iron metabolism in cancer, and drug delivery innovations. Recent work explores miR-7's role in sorafenib resistance and miR-642a-5p's tumor suppression in prostate cancer. Key contributions include reviews on iron metabolism and metastasis, and a chapter on in vivo microRNA delivery methods.

Current grants: Co-investigator on an NHMRC-funded project (2024–2028) developing RNA-based therapies for oral cancer. Collaborates internationally on cancer biology and therapeutic research.