Nikolas Haass, MD/PhD/FACD
Professor for Cutaneous Oncology/Principal Research Fellow
Head, Experimental Melanoma Therapy Group
Director of Higher Degree Research UQDI
Academic lead of TRI’s Microscopy Facility
Nikolas Haass is a clinician scientist and academic leader with research in melanoma cell biology and experimental melanoma therapy. He received his degree in medicine from the University of Heidelberg, Germany (1990-1998). He graduated summa cum laude with a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Heidelberg (1993-1999) and trained in clinical dermatology at the University of Hamburg, Germany (1999-2003). In 2003 he moved to Philadelphia, PA, to work as a post-doctoral fellow in Meenhard Herlyn’s lab at The Wistar Institute/University of Pennsylvania (2003-2007). From there he was recruited as an associate faculty member to the Centenary Institute/University of Sydney (2007-2013). In 2013 he commenced a position as Professor for Cutaneous Oncology at University of Queensland Diamantina Institute.
Using cutting-edge technology, including real-time cell cycle imaging in 3D culture and in vivo, his team studies the role of dynamic melanoma heterogeneity in melanomagenesis with the goal to develop novel therapeutic approaches by simultaneously targeting different tumor cell subpopulations. His laboratory and his team are in the unique position to combine sophisticated imaging and biosensor approaches with biochemical methods to provide unprecedented insight to the mechanisms of tumor heterogeneity, tumor-stroma interactions and cancer immunology.
The role of altered cell-cell communication in melanoma progression.
Journal of molecular histology Mar, 2004 | Pubmed ID: 15339050
Up-regulated expression of zonula occludens protein-1 in human melanoma associates with N-cadherin and contributes to invasion and adhesion.
The American journal of pathology May, 2005 | Pubmed ID: 15855653
Adhesion, migration and communication in melanocytes and melanoma.
Pigment cell research / sponsored by the European Society for Pigment Cell Research and the International Pigment Cell Society Jun, 2005 | Pubmed ID: 15892711
Differential induction of connexins 26 and 30 in skin tumors and their adjacent epidermis.
The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society Feb, 2006 | Pubmed ID: 16046668
Normal human melanocyte homeostasis as a paradigm for understanding melanoma.
The journal of investigative dermatology. Symposium proceedings / the Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc. [and] European Society for Dermatological Research Nov, 2005 | Pubmed ID: 16358819
Multiple signaling pathways must be targeted to overcome drug resistance in cell lines derived from melanoma metastases.
Molecular cancer therapeutics May, 2006 | Pubmed ID: 16731745
An organometallic protein kinase inhibitor pharmacologically activates p53 and induces apoptosis in human melanoma cells.
Cancer research Jan, 2007 | Pubmed ID: 17210701
Expression of integrin alpha10 is induced in malignant melanoma.
Cellular oncology : the official journal of the International Society for Cellular Oncology , 2007 | Pubmed ID: 17726260
The mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase inhibitor AZD6244 (ARRY-142886) induces growth arrest in melanoma cells and tumor regression when combined with docetaxel.
Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research Jan, 2008 | Pubmed ID: 18172275
Discovery of a selective inhibitor of oncogenic B-Raf kinase with potent antimelanoma activity.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Feb, 2008 | Pubmed ID: 18287029
From Xiphophorus to melanoma--a tribute to Steven Kazianis (1966-2008).
Zebrafish , 2008 | Pubmed ID: 18554171
Melanoma biomarkers: current status and utility in diagnosis, prognosis, and response to therapy.
Molecular diagnosis & therapy , 2009 | Pubmed ID: 19791833
Melanoma progression exhibits a significant impact on connexin expression patterns in the epidermal tumor microenvironment.
Histochemistry and cell biology Jan, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 19844737
Genetics of basal cell carcinoma.
The Australasian journal of dermatology May, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20546211
PLX4032, a potent inhibitor of the B-Raf V600E oncogene, selectively inhibits V600E-positive melanomas.
Pigment cell & melanoma research Dec, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20973932
Multiple desmoplastic melanomas in Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome and a proposed signaling link between folliculin, the mTOR pathway, and melanoma susceptibility.
Archives of dermatology Nov, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 21079084
Evaluation of cell cycle arrest in estrogen responsive MCF-7 breast cancer cells: pitfalls of the MTS assay.
PloS one , 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21673993
Meeting report from the 2011 International Melanoma Congress, Tampa, Florida.
Pigment cell & melanoma research Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22117673
Modulation of NOXA and MCL-1 as a strategy for sensitizing melanoma cells to the BH3-mimetic ABT-737.
Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22173547
The BH3-mimetic ABT-737 sensitizes human melanoma cells to apoptosis induced by selective BRAF inhibitors but does not reverse acquired resistance.
Carcinogenesis Feb, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23087082
In vitro three-dimensional tumor microenvironment models for anticancer drug discovery.
Expert opinion on drug discovery Jan, 2008 | Pubmed ID: 23480136
DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint defects as drivers and therapeutic targets in melanoma.
Pigment cell & melanoma research Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23837768
Melanoma's connections to the tumour microenvironment.
Pathology Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23851614
A novel class of anticancer compounds targets the actin cytoskeleton in tumor cells.
Cancer research Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23946473
Targeting glutamine transport to suppress melanoma cell growth.
International journal of cancer. Journal international du cancer Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24531984
Targeting the intrinsic apoptosis pathway as a strategy for melanoma therapy.
Pigment cell & melanoma research Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24655414
Melanoma never says die.
Experimental dermatology Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24684560
Real-time cell cycle imaging during melanoma growth, invasion, and drug response.
Pigment cell & melanoma research Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24902993
Detection of primary melanoma in individuals at extreme high risk: a prospective 5-year follow-up study.
JAMA dermatology Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24964862
Friends or foes: IL-10 and TGF-β in melanoma.
Experimental dermatology Apr, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25661188
Expression of Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 in the nonmelanoma skin cancers of renal transplant recipients.
American journal of clinical pathology Apr, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25780003
Switching the sphingolipid rheostat in the treatment of diabetes and cancer comorbidity from a problem to an advantage.
BioMed research international , 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25866760
Short-term suppression of A315T mutant human TDP-43 expression improves functional deficits in a novel inducible transgenic mouse model of FTLD-TDP and ALS.
Acta neuropathologica Nov, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26437864
Cell Cycle Phase-Specific Drug Resistance as an Escape Mechanism of Melanoma Cells.
The Journal of investigative dermatology 07, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 26970356
microRNA-7-5p inhibits melanoma cell proliferation and metastasis by suppressing RelA/NF-κB.
Oncotarget May, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 27203220
Modeling Melanoma In Vitro and In Vivo.
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Dec, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 27429258
Multimodal tumor suppression by miR-302 cluster in melanoma and colon cancer.
The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology 12, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 27840154
Genome-wide gain-of-function screen for genes that induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer.
Oncotarget 09, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 27876705
Cell cycle-tailored targeting of metastatic melanoma: Challenges and opportunities.
Experimental dermatology 07, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28109167
NFIB Mediates BRN2 Driven Melanoma Cell Migration and Invasion Through Regulation of EZH2 and MITF.
EBioMedicine Feb, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28119061
Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for pH-Stimuli-Responsive Drug Delivery of TNF-Alpha.
Advanced healthcare materials Jul, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28557249
Targeting endothelin receptor signalling overcomes heterogeneity driven therapy failure.
EMBO molecular medicine 08, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28606996
Real-Time Cell Cycle Imaging in a 3D Cell Culture Model of Melanoma.
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) , 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28634959
Acetylsalicylic Acid Governs the Effect of Sorafenib in -Mutant Cancers.
Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 03, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29196297
HDAC inhibitors restore BRAF-inhibitor sensitivity by altering PI3K and survival signalling in a subset of melanoma.
International journal of cancer 05, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29210065
Endogenous Replication Stress Marks Melanomas Sensitive to CHEK1 Inhibitors .
Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 06, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29535131
Mathematical Models for Cell Migration with Real-Time Cell Cycle Dynamics.
Biophysical journal 03, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29539409
Microenvironment-Driven Dynamic Heterogeneity and Phenotypic Plasticity as a Mechanism of Melanoma Therapy Resistance.
Frontiers in oncology , 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29881716
FGFR2-activating mutations disrupt cell polarity to potentiate migration and invasion in endometrial cancer cell models.
Journal of cell science 08, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 30002137
Induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress as a strategy for melanoma therapy: is there a future?
Melanoma management Nov, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 30190818
Dynamic tumor heterogeneity in melanoma therapy: how do we address this in a novel model system?
Melanoma management May, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 30190835
The Role of Melanoma Cell-Stroma Interaction in Cell Motility, Invasion, and Metastasis.
Frontiers in medicine , 2018 | Pubmed ID: 30460237
RAB27A promotes melanoma cell invasion and metastasis via regulation of pro-invasive exosomes.
International journal of cancer 06, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 30556600
Magnolol induces cell death through PI3K/Akt-mediated epigenetic modifications boosting treatment of BRAF- and NRAS-mutant melanoma.
Cancer medicine 03, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 30793515
BCL-XL and MCL-1 are the key BCL-2 family proteins in melanoma cell survival.
Cell death & disease 04, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 31019203
Combined use of subclinical hydroxyurea and CHK1 inhibitor effectively controls melanoma and lung cancer progression, with reduced normal tissue toxicity compared to gemcitabine.
Molecular oncology 07, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 31044505
Mathematical models incorporating a multi-stage cell cycle replicate normally-hidden inherent synchronization in cell proliferation.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface 08, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 31431185
Examining Go-or-Grow Using Fluorescent Cell-Cycle Indicators and Cell-Cycle-Inhibiting Drugs.
Biophysical journal 03, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32087771
Abrogation of RAB27A expression transiently affects melanoma cell proliferation.
Pigment cell & melanoma research 11, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32511882
GGCX mutations in a patient with overlapping pseudoxanthoma elasticum/cutis laxa-like phenotype.
The British journal of dermatology 06, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33000479
Editorial: Recent Developments in Therapies and Diagnostic Tools for Melanoma and Non-melanoma Skin Cancer.
Frontiers in medicine , 2020 | Pubmed ID: 33282896
Synchronized oscillations in growing cell populations are explained by demographic noise.
Biophysical journal 04, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33617836
A novel mathematical model of heterogeneous cell proliferation.
Journal of mathematical biology 03, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33712945
Rapid initiation of cell cycle reentry processes protects neurons from amyloid-β toxicity.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 03, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33737393
Mathematical Model of Tumour Spheroid Experiments with Real-Time Cell Cycle Imaging.
Bulletin of mathematical biology 03, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33743088
Targeting Replication Stress Using CHK1 Inhibitor Promotes Innate and NKT Cell Immune Responses and Tumour Regression.
Cancers Jul, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 34359633
Fluorescence-Based Quantitative and Spatial Analysis of Tumour Spheroids: A Proposed Tool to Predict Patient-Specific Therapy Response.
Frontiers in digital health , 2021 | Pubmed ID: 34713141
Quantitative analysis of tumour spheroid structure.
eLife 11, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 34842141
Reciprocal Regulation of BRN2 and NOTCH1/2 Signaling Synergistically Drives Melanoma Cell Migration and Invasion.
The Journal of investigative dermatology 07, 2022 | Pubmed ID: 34958806
PTEN: A novel target for vitamin D in melanoma.
The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology 04, 2022 | Pubmed ID: 35033661
Designing and interpreting 4D tumour spheroid experiments.
Communications biology 01, 2022 | Pubmed ID: 35075254
RAB27A-mediated melanoma exosomes: promoters of invasion and metastasis.
Translational cancer research Jun, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 35116811
A stochastic mathematical model of 4D tumour spheroids with real-time fluorescent cell cycle labelling.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface 04, 2022 | Pubmed ID: 35382573
Persister state-directed transitioning and vulnerability in melanoma.
Nature communications 06, 2022 | Pubmed ID: 35650266
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