Melbourne Salon

Unravelling the cancer puzzle from an ecological and evolutionary perspective – an Australian and French International Associated Laboratory

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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