Dr Charbel Darido graduated with a Master in Endocrinology and a Master in Physiology before completing his PhD studies on colon cancer at the University of Montpellier in France. He then moved to Australia to conduct post-doctoral studies at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne. Here he initiated a cancer project that led to the identification of a critical tumour suppressor gene against squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of skin and head & neck tissues.

Following his first post-doc, he relocated to Monash University to lead the cancer program in the “epidermal development laboratory” at the School of Translational Medicine (The Alfred Centre). More recently, Dr Darido was appointed a Group Leader position within the Cancer Therapeutic Program at Peter Mac to establish a vibrant research program on head and neck cancer. The main focus of his lab is to develop model systems for the investigation of head & neck SCC with an emphasis on studying the initiating lesions and identifying the cell of origin of these cancers.

His research group studies the molecular basis of cancer, with emphasis on basic mechanisms of tumour suppression and signal transduction and their dysregulation in skin and head and neck squamous cell carcinogenesis. He is recognised for his pioneering research aimed at unravelling the complexity of the intracellular signalling circuitries by which loss of transcription factors promote oncogenic addiction, thereby leading to malignant transformation and cancer cell proliferation.

Dr Darido’s current investigations are made possible through the use of genetically engineered mouse models and carcinogenic protocols, orthotopic SCC xenografts and cultured cancer-derived cell lines. His ultimate goal is to translate molecular insights into new strategies of preventing and treating this disease, which causes significant mortality and morbidity worldwide.