Harvey Lab research
Collaborations | Student research projects | Publications
About Professor Kieran Harvey
Professor Kieran Harvey holds dual appointments and heads two laboratories at Monash University and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac). At Monash, he runs a laboratory in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology and at Peter Mac, he leads the Organogenesis and Cancer Program.
Kieran’s group studies organ size control during development, using Drosophila, and how signalling pathways that control organ size are deregulated in human cancer. In particular his group focuses on the newly described Hippo tumour suppressor pathway, which he helped to discover in Professor Iswar Hariharan’s laboratory in 2002.
Kieran performed Doctoral studies with Professor Sharad Kumar (Hanson Institute, Adelaide), and postdoctoral studies with Professor Iswar Hariharan (Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical Center and University of California, Berkeley). In 2006, Kieran established an independent laboratory at Peter Mac and in 2017 also joined Monash University.
Our research
Current projects
1. Watching Hippo pathway activity in growing organs, in real time
A new frontier in biological research involves watching proteins to do their work in real time in living organs. We use ex vivo organ culture and multi-photon microscopy to observe Hippo pathway protein behaviour in real time to provide new insights into how this signalling network controls organ growth. (Figure 1)
Figure 1
2. Searching for the complete set of Hippo pathway genes
The Hippo pathway is the one of the most recently discovered signalling networks in biology. We use genetic and proteomic screens in both Drosophila and human cells in an attempt to identify all know pathway components. (Figure 2)
Figure 2
3. Defining the role of the Hippo pathway in human cancer
The Hippo pathway is deregulated in most human cancers but its role in this group of diseases remains enigmatic. We use a variety of model systems to investigate the role of the Hippo pathway in melanoma and mesothelioma. (Figure 3)
Figure 3
Visit Professor Harvey’s Monash research profile to see a full listing of current projects.
Research activities
The primary focus of our laboratory is the Hippo growth control pathway. We want to define how the Hippo pathway:
- controls organ size
- mediates signal transduction
- is deregulated in human diseases such as cancers
Techniques/expertise
Microscopy
Drosophila genetics
Cancer cell biology
Molecular biology
Disease models
Drosophila
Cancer cell lines
Collaborations
We collaborate with many scientists and research organisations around the world. Click on the map below to see the details for each of these collaborators (dive into specific publications and outputs by clicking on the dots).
Student research projects
The Harvey Lab offers a variety of Honours, Masters and PhD projects for students interested in joining our group. There are also a number of short term research opportunities available.
Please visit Supervisor Connect to explore the projects currently available in the Harvey Lab.
