Prof. John Mills, BS, MD, FACP, FRACP, ARCPA
Assoc Prof. John Pederson, BA , MA, MBBS, FRCPA, PhD


TissuPath Pty Ltd,
165 Burwood Road,
Hawthorn, VIC 3122, AUSTRALIA
Phone: (61-3) 9815 1588
Fax: (61-3) 9819 9250
Email: info@tissupath.com.au
Website: www.tissupath.com.au




Research Interests


TissuPath is unique among private pathology laboratories in that it has both an in-house research program as numerous collaborative programs with Australian universities, research institutes, foundations and biotechnology companies.

TissuPath’s current research programs are listed below:
•    Improved FISH methods for detecting 1p and 19q chromosome deletions in oligodendrogliomas
•    Influence of heterogeneity of chromosome deletions and EGF-receptor expression on outcome of chemotherapy in oligodendrogliomas (collaborator: Royal Melbourne Hospital)
•    Can DNET and oligodendroglioma with DNET morphology be differentiated using FISH for 1p and 19q chromosome deletions
•    Development of a cervicovaginal tissue/organ culture system (collaborator: Burnet Institute, Melbourne)
•    Expression of SRD5alphaR1 in prostate cancer (collaborator: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia)
•    Development and validation of immunohistochemical markers for prediction of outcomes following radical prostatectomy and for predicting the need for surgery following needle biopsy (Collaborators: Cancer Council Victoria; Royal Melbourne Hospital; Alfred Hospital)
•    Correlation between MRI imaging of prostate cancer in vivo and actual tumour mass and localisation following radical prostatectomy (Collaborator: Mercy Hospital Private Radiology, Melbourne)
•    Relationship between prostate cancer and stem cells (Collaborator: Monash Institute for Medical Research)
•    Role of inhibins in development of prostate cancer (Collaborator: Monash Institute for Medical Research)
•    Anatomy of the seminal vesicles (Collaborator: Royal Melbourne Hospital)
•    Using morphological and protein expression markers to subdivide prostate cancers of Gleason pattern 3 (Collaborator: Monash Institute for Medical Research)
•    Can expression of apoptosis markers assist in diagnosis of prostate cancer? (Collaborator: Peptech and Biosceptre Corporation, Sydney).

TissuPath is actively involved in "tissue banking" (freezing leftover pathology specimens for use in future research, with approval of the patient) and is the only private pathology laboratory that is an Affiliate Member of the recently-funded Victorian Cancer BioBank.


Affiliations & Collaborations


Cancer Council Victoria, Victorian Tissue Banking Initiative, RMIT, Monash University, Monash Institute for Medical Research, Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health


Publications


1.     Chandra RV, Heinze S, Dowling R, Shadbolt C, Costello A, Pedersen J. Endorectal magnetic resonance imaging staging of prostate cancer. ANZ J Surg 2007; 77:860-65.
2.     Gonzales M, Dale S, Susman M, Mills J. Quantitation of chromosome 1p and 19q deletions in glial tumours by interphase FISH on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue. J Clin Neuroscience 2006; 13:96-101
3.     Gonzales MG, Dale S, Susman M, Nolan P, Ng WH, Maixner V, Laidlaw J. Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNG)-like oligodendrogliomas or DNTs evolving into oligodendrogliomas: Two illustrative cases. Neuropathology 2007; 27:324-330.
4.     Taylor, R. A., P. A. Cowin, G. R. Cunha, M. Pera, A. O. Trounson, J. Pedersen and G. P. Risbridger (2006). "Formation of human prostate tissue from embryonic stem cells." Nat Methods 3:179-81.
5.     Ellem, S. J., J. F. Schmitt, J. S. Pedersen, M. Frydenberg and G. P. Risbridger (2004). "Local aromatase expression in human prostate is altered in malignancy." J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89:2434-41.
6.     Bianco, J. J., D. J. Handelsman, J. S. Pedersen and G. P. Risbridger (2002). "Direct response of the murine prostate gland and seminal vesicles to estradiol." Endocrinology 143:4922-33.
7.     Jarred, R. A., M. Keikha, C. Dowling, S. J. McPherson, A. M. Clare, A. J. Husband, J. S. Pedersen, M. Frydenberg and G. P. Risbridger (2002). "Induction of apoptosis in low to moderate-grade human prostate carcinoma by red clover-derived dietary isoflavones." Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 11:1689-96.
8.     Schmitt, J. F., D. S. Millar, J. S. Pedersen, S. L. Clark, D. J. Venter, M. Frydenberg, P. L. Molloy and G. P. Risbridger (2002). "Hypermethylation of the inhibin alpha-subunit gene in prostate carcinoma." Mol Endocrinol 16:213-20.
9.     McPherson, S. J., H. Wang, M. E. Jones, J. Pedersen, T. P. Iismaa, N. Wreford, E. R. Simpson and G. P. Risbridger (2001). "Elevated androgens and prolactin in aromatase-deficient mice cause enlargement, but not malignancy, of the prostate gland." Endocrinology 142:2458-67