Jessica Koach, PhD

Post Doctoral Scholar
Pediatric Oncology
[email protected]
+1 415 502-3602

Jessica completed her BSc in Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand followed by her MSc (Hons) in Genetics and Molecular Biology. She expanded her research to immunology by working with the Infectious Diseases Group at AgResearch Ltd, New Zealand. Jessica then moved to Sydney to pursue her main research interest in oncology and while working at the Children’s Cancer Institute she completed her PhD at the University of New South Wales, Australia, where her main focus was on mechanisms and therapies in paediatric oncology. Jessica joined the Gustafson Lab in November 2016, she is currently researching new strategies and identifying novel compounds for the treatment of paediatric cancers with a main focus on neuroblastoma.

Publications: 

The synergy of BET inhibitors with aurora A kinase inhibitors in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma is heightened with functional TP53.

Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.)

Yi JS, Sias-Garcia O, Nasholm N, Hu X, Iniguez AB, Hall MD, Davis M, Guha R, Moreno-Smith M, Barbieri E, Duong K, Koach J, Qi J, Bradner JE, Stegmaier K, Weiss WA, Gustafson WC

A structural view of PA2G4 isoforms with opposing functions in cancer.

The Journal of biological chemistry

Stevenson BW, Gorman MA, Koach J, Cheung BB, Marshall GM, Parker MW, Holien JK

Drugging MYCN oncogenic signalling through the MYCN-PA2G4 binding interface.

Cancer research

Koach J, Holien JK, Massudi H, Carter DR, Ciampa OC, Herath M, Lim T, Seneviratne JA, Milazzo G, Murray JE, McCarroll JA, Liu B, Mayoh C, Keenan B, Stevenson BW, Gorman MA, Bell JL, Doughty L, Hüttelmaier S, Oberthuer A, Fischer M, Gifford AJ, Liu T, Zhang X, Zhu S, Gustafson WC, Haber M, Norris MD, Fletcher JI, Perini G, Parker MW, Cheung BB, Marshall GM

Heterozygous loss of keratinocyte TRIM16 expression increases melanocytic cell lesions and lymph node metastasis.

Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology

Sutton SK, Cheung BB, Massudi H, Tan O, Koach J, Mayoh C, Carter DR, Marshall GM

MYCN promotes neuroblastoma malignancy by establishing a regulatory circuit with transcription factor AP4.

Oncotarget

Xue C, Yu DM, Gherardi S, Koach J, Milazzo G, Gamble L, Liu B, Valli E, Russell AJ, London WB, Liu T, Cheung BB, Marshall GM, Perini G, Haber M, Norris MD

Therapeutic targeting of the MYC signal by inhibition of histone chaperone FACT in neuroblastoma.

Science translational medicine

Carter DR, Murray J, Cheung BB, Gamble L, Koach J, Tsang J, Sutton S, Kalla H, Syed S, Gifford AJ, Issaeva N, Biktasova A, Atmadibrata B, Sun Y, Sokolowski N, Ling D, Kim PY, Webber H, Clark A, Ruhle M, Liu B, Oberthuer A, Fischer M, Byrne J, Saletta F, Thwe le M, Purmal A, Haderski G, Burkhart C, Speleman F, De Preter K, Beckers A, Ziegler DS, Liu T, Gurova KV, Gudkov AV, Norris MD, Haber M, Marshall GM

Thymosin-ß4 is a determinant of drug sensitivity for Fenretinide and Vorinostat combination therapy in neuroblastoma.

Molecular oncology

Cheung BB, Tan O, Koach J, Liu B, Shum MS, Carter DR, Sutton S, Po'uha ST, Chesler L, Haber M, Norris MD, Kavallaris M, Liu T, O'Neill GM, Marshall GM

TRIM16 inhibits proliferation and migration through regulation of interferon beta 1 in melanoma cells.

Oncotarget

Sutton SK, Koach J, Tan O, Liu B, Carter DR, Wilmott JS, Yosufi B, Haydu LE, Mann GJ, Thompson JF, Long GV, Liu T, McArthur G, Zhang XD, Scolyer RA, Cheung BB, Marshall GM

The histone deacetylase SIRT2 stabilizes Myc oncoproteins.

Cell death and differentiation

Liu PY, Xu N, Malyukova A, Scarlett CJ, Sun YT, Zhang XD, Ling D, Su SP, Nelson C, Chang DK, Koach J, Tee AE, Haber M, Norris MD, Toon C, Rooman I, Xue C, Cheung BB, Kumar S, Marshall GM, Biankin AV, Liu T

Synthesis of retinoid enhancers based on 2-aminobenzothiazoles for anti-cancer therapy.

Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry

Gardner CR, Cheung BB, Koach J, Black DS, Marshall GM, Kumar N

TRIM16 acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase and can heterodimerize with other TRIM family members.

PloS one

Bell JL, Malyukova A, Holien JK, Koach J, Parker MW, Kavallaris M, Marshall GM, Cheung BB

The retinoid signalling molecule, TRIM16, is repressed during squamous cell carcinoma skin carcinogenesis in vivo and reduces skin cancer cell migration in vitro.

The Journal of pathology

Cheung BB, Koach J, Tan O, Kim P, Bell JL, D'andreti C, Sutton S, Malyukova A, Sekyere E, Norris M, Haber M, Kavallaris M, Cunningham AM, Proby C, Leigh I, Wilmott JS, Cooper CL, Halliday GM, Scolyer RA, Marshall GM

TRIM16 acts as a tumour suppressor by inhibitory effects on cytoplasmic vimentin and nuclear E2F1 in neuroblastoma cells.

Oncogene

Marshall GM, Bell JL, Koach J, Tan O, Kim P, Malyukova A, Thomas W, Sekyere EO, Liu T, Cunningham AM, Tobias V, Norris MD, Haber M, Kavallaris M, Cheung BB

Patched1 deletion increases N-Myc protein stability as a mechanism of medulloblastoma initiation and progression.

Oncogene

Thomas WD, Chen J, Gao YR, Cheung B, Koach J, Sekyere E, Norris MD, Haber M, Ellis T, Wainwright B, Marshall GM

The estrogen-responsive B box protein (EBBP) restores retinoid sensitivity in retinoid-resistant cancer cells via effects on histone acetylation.

Cancer letters

Raif A, Marshall GM, Bell JL, Koach J, Tan O, D'andreti C, Thomas W, Sekyere E, Norris M, Haber M, Kavallaris M, Cheung BB

ATP7A is a novel target of retinoic acid receptor beta2 in neuroblastoma cells.

British journal of cancer

Bohlken A, Cheung BB, Bell JL, Koach J, Smith S, Sekyere E, Thomas W, Norris M, Haber M, Lovejoy DB, Richardson DR, Marshall GM

Vaccination of cattle with a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide-formulated mycobacterial protein vaccine and Mycobacterium bovis BCG induces levels of protection against bovine tuberculosis superior to those induced by vaccination with BCG alone.

Infection and immunity

Wedlock DN, Denis M, Skinner MA, Koach J, de Lisle GW, Vordermeier HM, Hewinson RG, van Drunen Littel-van den Hurk S, Babiuk LA, Hecker R, Buddle BM