Dr Carmela Ricciardelli

Dr Carmela Ricciardelli
 Position Senior Research Fellow (C)
 Org Unit Women's and Children's Health
 Email carmela.ricciardelli@adelaide.edu.au
 Telephone +61 8 8313 8255
 Location Floor/Room 5 ,  Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences ,   North Terrace

  • Biography/ Background

    Current Appointments

  • Awards & Achievements

    • 1986: Martin Hansen Award for Dux of Class in B App Science in Medical Laboratory Science (Australian Institute of Medical Laboratory Science)
    • 1992: Flinders University Scholarship (Postgraduate)
    • 2005: Tall Poppy award, Australian Institute of Political Science for outstanding achievement in the field of biomedical and clinical science
    • 2006: Hilda Farmer University Fellowship, University of Adelaide
    • 2008: Travel award Cancer Council SA
    • 2010: Most Outstanding Contribution to the Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
    • 2012: Cancer Council SA Senior Fellowship

     

  • Teaching Interests

    Current students

    • Ms Shalini Jindal Ph D "Role of androgen and oestrogen receptors in breast cancer development and outcome" Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Labs, Discipline of Medicine, Hanson Institute
    • Mr Adrian Kaczmarek Ph D student "Immune-cancer cell interactions in the growth and metastatic progression of breast cancers" Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide

  • Research Interests

    Dr Ricciardelli a cancer cell biologist; joined the Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in April 2005. She was awarded her Ph D in 1996 (Flinders University) and has undertaken postdoctoral studies in the Department of Surgery, Flinders Medical Centre, South Australia (1996-2001) and Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories, Hanson Institute, South Australia (2002-2005). In 2005 Dr Ricciardelli was awarded a Tall Poppy Award for outstanding achievement in the field of biomedical and clinical science. In 2007 she was the recipient of the highly competitive Hilda Farmer Fellowship in Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide which has enabled her to build a Reproductive cancer research group in the Discipline of O&G, University of Adelaide. In 2012 Dr Ricciardelli was awarded a senior fellowship funded by SAHMRI and Cancer Council SA.

    Dr Ricciardelli's research program has focused on hormone-regulated proteins and prognostic markers in breast and prostate cancer. Using a novel approach in her postdoctoral studies by examining the non-cancer stromal cells which surround the cancer cells, Dr Ricciardelli was the first researcher to identify that the expression of the extracellular matrix protein, versican correlated with cancer spread in prostate and breast cancer. This was an exciting and unique discovery that has lead to versican expression being examined in many different cancer types. Versican is a molecule known to regulate cellular movement at critical periods in the developing embryo, and control the movement of normal smooth muscle cells, nerves and fibroblasts. Dr Ricciardelli's recent studies suggest that cancer cells can utilize stromally derived versican to aid their movement.

    Dr Ricciardelli current research focuses on further understanding the cross-talk between breast and ovarian cancer cells and the tumour microevironment. Dr Ricciardelli is currently studying the interactions between peritoneal and ovarian cancers and the mechanisms whereby extracellular matrix proteins and proteases promote motility and tumor spread of breast, prostate and ovarian cancer.

     

  • Research Funding

    • NHMRC 
    • RAH Clinical research grant
    • Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (Australia)
    • US Army Medical Research and Material Command
    • Faculty of Health Sciences
    • Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
    • Robinson Institute
    • National Breast Cancer Foundation
    • Cancer Council SA/SAHMRI

  • Publications

    Publications and citation metrics as listed on Google Scholar
    Publications and citation metrics as listed on Web of Knowledge

    • Ricciardelli C, Choong CS-Y, Buchanan G, Vivekanandan S Neufing P, Stahl J, Marshall VR, Horsfall DJ and Tilley WD. Androgen receptor levels in prostate cancer epithelial and peritumoral stromal cells identify non-organ confined disease. Prostate, 63: 19-28, 2005
    • Buchanan, G., Birrell, S. N., Peters, A. A., Bianco-Miotto, T., Ramsay, K., Cops, E. J., Yang, M., Harris, J. M., Simila, H. A., Moore, N. L., Bentel, J. M., Ricciardelli C, Horsfall, D. J., Butler, L. M., and Tilley, W. D. Decreased androgen receptor levels and receptor function in breast cancer contribute to the failure of response to medroxyprogesterone acetate. Cancer Res, 65: 8487-8496, 2005
    • Butler, L. M., Centenera, M., Neufing, P. J., Buchanan, G., Choong, C. S., Ricciardelli C, Saint, K., Lee, M., Ochnik, A., Yang, M., Brown, M. P., and Tilley, W. D. Suppression of androgen receptor signaling in prostate cancer cells by an inhibitory receptor variant. Mol Endocrinol, 20:1009-24, 2006
    • Sakko AJ, Ricciardelli C, Dours-Zimmermann MT, Zimmermann DR, Neufing N, Tilley WD Marshall VR and Horsfall DJ. Changes in steroid receptors and proteoglycan expression in the guinea pig prostate stroma during puberty and hormone manipulation. Prostate 67: 288-300, 2007
    • Ricciardelli C, Russell D, Ween MP, Mayne K, Byers S, VR Marshall, Tilley WD and Horsfall DJ. Formation of hyaluronan-and versican- rich pericellular matrix by prostate cancer cells promotes cell motility J Biol Chem 282:10814-10825, 2007
    • Buchanan G, Ricciardelli C, Harris JM, Prescott J, Chiao-Li Yu Z, Jia L, Butler LM, Marshall VR, Scher HI, Gerald WL, Coetzee GA & Tilley WD. Control of Androgen Receptor Signaling by the Cochaperone, Small Glutamine-Rich Tetratricopeptide Repeat Containing Protein Alpha. Cancer Res 67: 10087-10096, 2007
    • Ricciardelli C, Jackson M, Choong CS, Stahl J Marshall VR, Horsfall DJ and Tilley WD. Elevated levels of HER-2/neu and androgen receptor in clinically localized prostate cancer identifies metastatic potential Prostate 68: 830-838, 2008
    • Sakko AJ, Butler MS, Byers S, Reinboth BJ, Stahl J, Kench JG, Horvath LG, Sutherland RL, Stricker PD, Henshall SM, Marshall VR, Tilley WD, Horsfall DJ & Ricciardelli C. Immunohistochemical level of unsulfated chondroitin disaccharides in the cancer stroma is an independent predictor of prostate cancer relapse. Cancer Biomarkers, Epidemiology & Prevention, 17: 2488-2497, 2008
    • Ricciardelli C, Sakko AJ, Stahl J, Tilley WD, Marshall VR & Horsfall DJ. Prostatic chondroitin sulfate is increased in patients with metastatic disease but does not predict survival outcome. Prostate 69:761-9, 2009.
    • Peters AA, Buchanan G, Ricciardelli C, Bianco-Miotto T, Jindal S, Centenera MM, Harris JM, Segara D, Jia L, Moore NL, Henshell SM, Coetzee GA, Sutherland RL, Butler LM & Tilley WD. Androgen receptor inhibits estrogen receptor-alpha activity and is prognostic in breast cancer. Cancer Research 69: 6131-6140, 2009
    • Callen DF, Ricciardelli C, Butler M, Stapleton A, Stahl J, Kench JG, Horsfall DJ Tilley WD, Schulz1 R, Nesland JM, Neilsen PM, Kumar R and holm R. Co-expression of the androgen receptor and the transcription factor ZNF652 is related to prostate cancer outcome. Oncology Reports 23: 1045-1052, 2010 
    • Ricciardelli C# Bianco-Miotto T#, Jindal S, Dodd TJ Cohen PA, Marshall VR, Sutherland PD, Samaratunga H, Kench JG, Dong Y, Wang H, Clements JA, Risbridger GP, Tilley WD, Horsfall DJ and the Australian Prostate Cancer BioResource. Comparative Biomarker Expression and RNA Integrity in Biospecimens Derived from Radical Retropubic and Robot Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomies. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 19:1755-65, 2010, # contributed equally 
    • Ween MP, Lokman, NA, Hoffmann P, Rodgers RJ, Ricciardelli C* & Oehler MK*. Transforming growth factor-beta induced protein (TGFBIp) secreted by peritoneal cells increases the metastatic potential of ovarian cancer cells. International Journal Cancer, 128:1570-84, 2011
    • Ween MP, Hummitzsch K, Rodgers RJ, Oehler MK & Ricciardelli C. Versican induces a pro-metastatic ovarian cancer cell behavior which can be inhibited by small hyaluronan oligosaccharides. Clinical and Experimental Metastasis, 28:113-25, 2011 
    • Ricciardelli C, Frewin KM, Tan IA, Williams ED, Opeskin K, Pritchard MA, Ingman WV and Russell DL. The Adamts1 protease gene is required for mammary tumor growth and metastasis. American Journal Pathology 179:3075-85, 2011 
    • Chiam K, Ryan NR, Ricciardelli C, Day TK, Buchanan G, Ochnik A, Murti K, Australian Prostate Cancer BioResource, Butler LM, Tilley WD, Bianco-Miotto T. DNA Methylation Analysis of the Prostate Cancer Susceptibility Gene KLF6 in Human and Mouse Prostate Cancers. Prostate, 73:182-93, 2013 
    • Lokman NA, Elder AF, Ricciardelli C* & Oehler MK*. The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay as an in vivo model to study the role of newly identified molecules on ovarian cancer invasion and metastasis. Cancer Molecules in Ovarian Cancer 2012" - Int J Mol Sci.;13:9959-70, 2012
    • Butler MS, Yang X, Ricciardelli C, Liang X, Norman RJ, Tilley WD & Hickey TE. Small glutamine-rich tetratricopeptide repeat containing protein alpha (SGTA) is present in human ovaries but not differentially expressed in relation to polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertil Steril 99:2076-2083, 2013 
    • Butler MS, Ricciardelli C, Tilley WD, Hickey TE. Androgen receptor protein levels are significantly reduced in serous ovarian carcinomas compared to benign or borderline disease but are not altered by cancer stage or metastatic progression. Hormones and Cancer 4:154-64 2013 
    • Lokman NA, Elder ASF, Ween MP, Pyragius CE, Hoffmann P, Oehler MK and Ricciardelli C. Annexin A2 is regulated by ovarian cancer-peritoneal cell interactions and promotes metastasis. Oncotarget 4:1199-211, 2013 
    • Ricciardelli C, Ween MP, Lokman NA, Tan IA, Pyragius CE, and Oehler MK. Chemotherapy-induced hyaluronan production: a novel chemoresistance mechanism in ovarian cancer BMC Cancer 13:476, 2013 .
    • Lim SL, Tsend-Ayush E, Kortschak DR, Jacob R, Ricciardelli C, Oehler MK, Grützner F. Conservation and Expression of piRNA Pathway Genes in Male and Female Adult Gonad of Amniotes Biology of Reproduction, 2013 
    • Lim SL, Ricciardelli C, Oehler MK, Tan de A, Russell DL, Grützner F. Overexpression of piRNA pathway genes in epithelial ovarian cancer PLos One  June 16, 2014  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099687
    • Feng Hu F, Dzaye OD, Hahn A, Yu Y, Scavetta RJ, Dittmar G, Kaczmarek AK, Dunning KR, Ricciardelli C, Rinnenthal JL, Heppner FL, Lehnardt S, Synowitz M, Wolf SA  and Kettenmann H. Glioma derived versican promotes tumor expansion via glioma associated microglial/macrophages Toll-like receptor 2 signalling. Neuro-oncology. 2015 17:200-10
    • Ricciardelli C, Cheruvu S, Lokman NA, I de A Tan, Ruszkiewicz A, Ween MP, Pyragius CE, Hoffmann P & Oehler MK. Transketolase is upregulated in metastatic peritoneal implants and promotes ovarian cancer cell proliferation. Clin and Exp Metastasis 2015 Jun; 32(5):441-55

       

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    •  Review articles
    • Ricciardelli C & Rodgers RJ Matrix of ovarian tumours. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine 24:270-82, 2006
    • Ricciardelli C, Sakko AJ, Ween MP, Russell DL & Horsfall DJ. The biological role and regulation of versican levels in cancer. Cancer and Metastasis Reviews 28:233-45, 2009
    • Ricciardelli C & Oehler MK. Diverse molecular pathways in ovarian cancer and their clinical significance. Maturitas 62:270-5, 2009
    • Martin K, Ricciardelli C, Hoffmann P, Oehler MK. Exploring the immunoproteome for ovarian cancer biomarker discovery. International Journal of Molecular Sciences Special issue on "Cancer Molecules in Ovarian Cancer" 12:410-428, 2011
    • Ween MP, Oehler MK, Ricciardelli C. Role of versican, hyaluronan and CD44 in ovarian cancer metastasis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Special issue on "Cancer Molecules in Ovarian Cancer" 12: 1009-1029, 2011
    • Lokman, N, Ween MP, Oehler MK, Ricciardelli C. The role of Annexin A2 in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Cancer Microenvironment 4:199-208, 2011
    • Chiam K, Ricciardelli C, Bianco-Miotto. Epigenetic Biomarkers in Prostate Cancer: Current and Future Uses. "Special Issue on Epigenetics", Cancer Letters. 2012 Mar 3. [Epub ahead of print]
    • Ween MP, Oehler MK & Ricciardelli C. TGFBI/βig-h3: A matrix protein with a dual role in ovarian cancer tumorigenesis and progression. Cancer Molecules in Ovarian Cancer 2012" International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 13(8):10461-77, 2012
    • Tan I, Ricciardelli C & Russell DL. The metalloproteinase Adamts-1: A comprehensive review of its role in tumorigenic and metastatic pathways. Int J Cancer 133:2263-76 2013
    • Pyragius CE, Fuller M, Ricciardelli C and Oehler MK. Aberrant lipid metabolism: An emerging diagnostic and therapeutic target in ovarian cancer. Special Issue on "Genes and Pathways in the Pathogenesis of Ovarian Cancer" International Journal of Molecular Sciences: 14: 7742-56, 2013
    • Ween MP, Armstrong M, Oehler MK, Ricciardelli C. The role of ABC transporters in ovarian cancer progression and chemoresistance. Criv Rev Oncol Hematol 2015 May 27 PMID 26100653

  • Professional Associations

    • Australian Society for Medical Research, 2009, Chair of session "Reproductive and Developmental Biology", 
    • Australian Society for Medical Research 2010 Chair on session "Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health"
    • Matrix Biology Society of Australia & New Zealand 2009, (Organising committee)
    • Matrix Biology Society of Australia & New Zealand 2009, Chair of session "Matrix and cancer" 
    • 37th Annual Meeting Matrix Biology Society of Australia & New Zealand 2013, Co-convenor and Chair of session on ‘Matrix and Disease' 
    • International Metastasis Research Society (Local Organising committee 2012, Chair of Symposium 7A Microenvironment, Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis)
    • American Association Cancer Research
    • International Society for Matrix Biology
    • International Society for Hyaluronan Sciences
    • Australian Metastasis Research society (Oz MRS)

     

  • Community Engagement

    • Presentation of talks with the Tall Poppy Campaign to encourage an interest in science to school children. 
      • Underdale High School (Year 8 and Year 10), June 2006
      • Gepps Cross High School (Year 10), July 2006
      • Career Expo Barossa Valley, Angaston, August 2006
      • Roxby Downs High School Woomera September 2006
      • Modbury Heights School, "Breast Cancer Development and Spread", April 2007
      • St Marys College "How reproductive cancers spread and develop", March 2010 
      • Wildness College

     

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Entry last updated: Tuesday, 29 Mar 2022

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