Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Gwo Yaw Ho is a medical oncologist and a clinician-scientist investigating better ways to treat cancer. Dr Ho graduated from The University of Glasgow, Scotland, in 2004, before completing his medical oncology specialist training in Brisbane, Queensland, in 2014. In 2019, he completed a laboratory-based, translational PhD at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne. Dr Ho’s PhD in ovarian and rare cancer research was completed whilst he worked simultaneously as a medical oncologist at Peter McCallum Cancer Centre and The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne. Dr Ho is now leading a research group in the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University and is also a part of the medical oncology team at Monash Health treating patients with breast and gynaecologic cancers within the Clinical Trial Unit.
Research interests:
Almost all patients with stage 4 solid tumour cancers eventually succumb to their disease. Despite major advances in cancer systemic therapeutics; chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy remain the only cancer treatment options associated with significant long-term survival benefit, if the tumour responds.
Dr Ho’s research team at Monash University has developed a novel tumour analysis platform that can identify neoantigens (cancer cell proteins). Dr Ho’s team are able to determine the correct T-cell receptors against specific neoantigens, and to transfer T-cell receptors to the appropriate cancer-killing immune-cells. This novel platform has the potential to revolutionise how cancers are treated, by tailoring immunotherapy specifically to a patient’s tumour and immune system.
This work is supported by Research Establishment Fellowship from the RACP Foundation and Tour de Cure Research Grant.
Other research interests:
MYCN is an early embryonic developmental gene that is completely silenced following completion of embryogenesis, except in the context of malignancy or in spermatogonial stem cell population. It plays an important role in regulating cell growth and division (proliferation), self-destruction of cells (apoptosis), cell stemness and differentiation (cell fate), and cell migration. Twenty percent of high grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC) are associated with MYCN oncogene pathway activation, which is linked to stem cell like behaviour and confers a poor prognosis.
Dr Ho’s research focuses on understanding the role of the MYCN pathway in HGSOC tumorigenesis and developing robust pre-clinical models to explore novel therapeutics for this subset of HGSOC. His studies have demonstrated that activation of the MYCN pathway in the fallopian tube secretory epithelial cells can drive ovarian cancer development and he utilises this model to generate pre-clinical data to support clinical trial designs.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Cancer Research, PhD, Understanding the role of MYCN in ovarian cancer to underpin treatment strategies, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI)
Award Date: 26 Aug 2019
Medicine, MBChB, University of Glasgow
Award Date: 5 Jul 2004
Molecular and Cellular Biology, BSc (Hon) , The Role of Calpain-mediated Proteolysis in Regulating the Phenotype of Metastatic Epithelial Cells, University of Glasgow
Award Date: 1 Jul 2002
External positions
Senior Medical Oncologist, Monash Health
8 Oct 2018 → …
Research area keywords
- Cancer
- Cancer Biology
- Biomarkers
- T-cell Receptor Therapy
- Immunopeptidomics
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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CATALINA-2: A Phase 2 Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of TORL-1-23 in Women with Advanced Platinum-Resistant Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (Including Primary Peritoneal and Fallopian Tube Cancers) Expressing Claudin 6.
Ho, G.-Y. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
11/04/25 → 10/04/30
Project: Research
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Randomized, multicenter, open-label, Phase 3 study of mirvetuximab soravtansine in combination with bevacizumab versus bevacizumab alone as maintenance therapy for patients with FRα-high recurrent platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancers who have not progressed after second-line platinumbased chemotherapy plus bevacizumab (GLORIOSA)
Ho, G.-Y. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
21/09/23 → 20/09/28
Project: Research
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Interferon epsilon: a new localised immunotherapy for ovarian cancer
Campbell, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Hertzog, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Ho, G.-Y. (Chief Investigator (CI))
United States Department of Defense (DOD), US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity
1/07/23 → 30/06/26
Project: Research
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A Phase 2 Open-label Randomized Study of Farletuzumab Ecteribulin (MORAb-202), a Folate Receptor Alpha-targeting Antibody-drug Conjugate, versus Investigator’s Choice Chemotherapy in Women with Platinum-resistant High-grade Serous (HGS) Ovarian, Primary Peritoneal, or Fallopian Tube Cancer
Ho, G.-Y. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
22/05/23 → 21/05/28
Project: Research
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The EPOCH Study - Phase II open labelled study investigating the use of single agent eribulin and eribulin in combination with pembrolizumab in relapsed tubo-ovarian or uterine carcinosarcoma
Ho, G.-Y. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
14/04/23 → 13/04/28
Project: Research
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BRCA1 secondary splice-site mutations drive exon-skipping and PARP inhibitor resistance
Nesic, K., Krais, J. J., Wang, Y., Vandenberg, C. J., Patel, P., Cai, K. Q., Kwan, T., Lieschke, E., Ho, G. Y., Barker, H. E., Bedo, J., Casadei, S., Farrell, A., Radke, M., Shield-Artin, K., Penington, J. S., Geissler, F., Kyran, E., Betsch, R. & Xu, L. & 18 others, , 5 Aug 2024, In: Molecular Cancer. 23, 1, 10 p., 158.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Scopus) -
Challenges in Implementing Comprehensive Precision Medicine Screening for Ovarian Cancer
Moffitt, L. R., Karimnia, N., Wilson, A. L., Stephens, A. N., Ho, G. Y. & Bilandzic, M., Dec 2024, In: Current Oncology. 31, 12, p. 8023-8038 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
CHK1 inhibitor SRA737 is active in PARP inhibitor resistant and CCNE1 amplified ovarian cancer
Xu, H., Gitto, S. B., Ho, G.-Y., Medvedev, S., Shield-Artin, K., Kim, H., Beard, S., Kinose, Y., Wang, X., Barker, H. E., Ratnayake, G., Hwang, W. T., Hansen, R. J., Strouse, B., Milutinovic, S., Hassig, C., Wakefield, M. J., Vandenberg, C. J., Scott, C. L. & Simpkins, F. & 1 others, , 19 Jul 2024, In: iScience. 27, 7, p. 1-22 22 p., 109978.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
Patient-Derived Xenograft Models for Ovarian Cancer
Tran, T. M., Ho, G. Y. & Chu, S., 2024, Methods in Molecular Biology. Saad, M. I. (ed.). New York NY USA: Humana Press, p. 187-196 10 p. (Methods in Molecular Biology; vol. 2806).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Other › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Interferon-ε is a tumour suppressor and restricts ovarian cancer
Marks, Z. R. C., Campbell, N. K., Mangan, N. E., Vandenberg, C. J., Gearing, L. J., Matthews, A. Y., Gould, J. A., Tate, M. D., Wray-McCann, G., Ying, L., Rosli, S., Brockwell, N., Parker, B. S., Lim, S. S., Bilandzic, M., Christie, E. L., Stephens, A. N., de Geus, E., Wakefield, M. J. & Ho, G. Y. & 8 others, , 16 Aug 2023, In: Nature. 620, 7976, p. 1063-1070+ 30 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
30 Citations (Scopus)
Activities
- 3 Contribution to conference
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Combine Scientific Meeting of the Australia-New-Zealand-Gynaecology-Oncology-Group
Ho, G.-Y. (Speaker)
Apr 2018Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Royal Women Hospital Research week
Ho, G.-Y. (Speaker)
Nov 2016Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Combine Scientific Meeting of the Australia-New-Zealand-Gynaecology-Oncology-Group
Ho, G.-Y. (Speaker)
Apr 2016Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference