From the Ledge to the Lab: Fighting Bowel Cancer Through Awareness & Research

A/Prof. Erin Symonds

Erin is a Senior Research Scientist with 20 years of experience in gastroenterology research. Since the beginning of 2013 she has been managing the research at Bowel Health Services in the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer. Her research focus is on cancer biomarkers and prevention. She leads her team in developing and optimising non-invasive diagnostic techniques for detection of colorectal cancer. She also conducts research within a personalised screening program for people at increased risk for bowel cancer (the SCOOP program).

A/Prof. Susan L. Woods

Susan is a biomedical scientist with three first-author Nature papers. Her lab, supported by NHMRC and Beat Cancer SA funding, focuses on improving outcomes for aggressive bowel cancers. Using patient samples and advanced preclinical models, her team develops new screening tests for early, hidden cancers and explores personalised treatment strategies to better match therapies to individual patients. The lab also studies how gut bacteria contribute to cancer, with the goal of creating probiotic-based tools for detection or prevention in high-risk individuals.

Prof. Joanne Bowen  
Jo leads the Cancer Treatment & Toxicities Group at the University of Adelaide, focusing on the mechanisms and management of cancer therapy-related side effects, particularly gastrointestinal toxicities. Her research spans preclinical models, patient cohorts, and microbiome studies to better understand and prevent complications like diarrhoea, vomiting, neuroinflammation, and bone loss caused by chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted therapies. An NHMRC Fellowship recipient, Prof Bowen has contributed to biomarker discovery and intervention development now used in industry. Her team is advancing personalised supportive care strategies and training the next generation of researchers in supportive oncology.

https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/joanne.bowen