Andrew Morokoff

Associate Professor Andrew Morokoff is an academic neurosurgeon affiliated with the Department of Surgery at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He earned his MBBS from the University of Melbourne, completed a PhD in 2004 focusing on the molecular biology of brain tumours at the same university, and received his Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2005. After neurosurgery training in Melbourne, he undertook a fellowship in brain tumour surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard University in Boston, USA, followed by a paediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Necker Hospital for Children in Paris, France. He is extensively trained in minimally invasive spinal surgery techniques across Australia, Europe, and the United States.

At the University of Melbourne, Associate Professor Morokoff heads the Brain Tumours and Epilepsy research group in the Melbourne Medical School. His research interests encompass the neurobiology of brain tumours, particularly gliomas; discovery of serum biomarkers including microRNAs and circulating tumour DNA for glioma diagnosis and post-operative monitoring; the role of glioma stem cells and their genotypes in tumour progression; utilisation of stem cell organoid cultures to identify molecular-targeted therapies; and the neuroscience underlying epileptic seizures induced by brain tumours, with emphasis on glutamate neurotransmitters. He maintains an active research laboratory and has authored over 70 publications. Key works include "Prediction of seizure likelihood with a long-term, implanted seizure advisory system in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: a first-in-man study" published in The Lancet Neurology in 2013, "Motor neuroprosthesis implanted with neurointerventional surgery improves capacity for activities of daily living tasks in severe paralysis: first in-human experience" in the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery in 2021, "Glutamate is associated with a higher risk of seizures in patients with gliomas" in Neurology in 2012, and "VDAC2 enables BAX to mediate apoptosis and limit tumor development" in Nature Communications in 2018. His research involves collaborations within the Parkville Precinct, including WEHI, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and the Florey Institute, as well as international partners in Israel, the UK, and Canada.