
Melbourne Salon
Unravelling the cancer puzzle from an ecological and evolutionary perspective – an Australian and French International Associated Laboratory
Join us for this online talk with
Professor Frédéric Thomas, CNRS (France), and
Associate Professor Beata Ujvari, Deakin University
Thursday 5 November 2020, 7pm-8pm
Free event - registration essential
Online
Register here
About the presentation
Cancer is not only a major cause of mortality, but also a disease which affects all other multicellular organisms. Oncology as a scientific field has, until now, developed in relative isolation from ecological and evolutionary sciences. To overcome these caveats, the presenters established the “Cancer in Ecology and Evolution International Associated Laboratory (LIA)” in order to understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of cancer in ecosystems.
This talk will focus on how applying evolutionary principles to cancer revolutionises treatment strategies and approaches. The presenters
will demonstrate what happens when cancer cells become the ultimate foe: when they escape the organism, become contagious, and drive
species to extinction, like the iconic Tasmanian Devils. Finally, they will demonstrate how linking interdisciplinary disciplines has the
potential to reveal new perspectives and strategies in human cancer research and in wildlife biology.
This collaboration is supported by the CNRS, the University of Montpellier, the French Embassy, the Australian French Research Association (AFRAN), Deakin University and the University of Tasmania.
About the presenters
Frédéric Thomas is the Directeur de Recherche (senior scientist,) at CNRS. He has a well-established expertise in the field of host–parasite interactions, especially host manipulation. He has been working on projects related to evolution and cancer since July 2011 and has since published 70 articles on this topic.

Beata Ujvari
is an Associate Professor in Bioinformatics and Genetics at Deakin University. As an evolutionary ecologist, her research focuses on the
interactions between organisms and their environment and these effects on organismal fitness. She is the Victorian hub leader of the
Australian French Research Association (AFRAN).


The Melbourne Salon is a joint venture between RMIT University, the Institute for the Study of French-Australian
Relations and the Alliance Française de Melbourne. It is a place where curious and open-minded people can engage in French-Australian
cross-cultural dialogues with the aim of broadening the understanding of French and Australian perspectives on contemporary topics through
conversation, debate and discussion.
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