Rate My Professor Kathryn Skelding

Associate Professor Kathryn Skelding serves as Associate Dean (Education) in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle. A graduate of the University of Newcastle, she earned her Bachelor of Biomedical Science with first class Honours and the University Medal in 2003. She completed her PhD at the same institution, focusing on oncolytic viruses as a novel treatment for breast cancer, supported by a National Breast Cancer Foundation Scholarship. Her academic career at the University began as a Research Associate from July 2007 to December 2011, followed by a full-time continuing Lecturer position from January 2012 to December 2015. She has since progressed to Associate Professor and leads the Cancer Cell Biology research group. Skelding has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Newcastle Innovation Excellence in Innovation Award in 2015, the Hunter Cancer Research Alliance Excellence in Translational Research Award in 2014, the International Society for Neurochemistry Travel Award in 2011, Best Early Career Researcher Speaker at the Hunter Medical Research Institute Cancer Research Program Symposium in 2010, Best Speaker at the University of Newcastle Graduate Student’s Day in 2006, and the University Medal in Biomedical Science in 2003, as well as the University of Newcastle Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence in 2000 and various scholarships.

Skelding's research expertise spans from fundamental biochemistry to the clinical evaluation of new anti-cancer therapeutics. As a molecular biologist with expertise in cell biology, her work investigates the mechanisms underlying cancer cell proliferation, survival, invasion, metastasis, and the development of resistance to chemotherapeutics. Particular emphases include brain cancer, leukaemia—with a strong focus on acute myeloid leukaemia and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia—breast cancer, and prostate cancer. She explores critical signal transduction pathways, such as those involving calcium/calmodulin-stimulated protein kinase II (CaMKII) and brain and acute leukemia cytoplasmic (BAALC) protein, to identify novel inhibitors and targeted therapies that can improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Key publications include "Modeling the Bone Marrow Microenvironment to Better Understand the Pathogenesis, Progression, and Treatment of Hematological Cancers" (2025), "Bone Marrow Microenvironment as a Source of New Drug Targets for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia" (2023), "Calcium/Calmodulin-Stimulated Protein Kinase II (CaMKII): Different Functional Outcomes from Activation, Depending on the Cellular Microenvironment" (2023), "A Novel Role for Brain and Acute Leukemia Cytoplasmic (BAALC) in Human Breast Cancer Metastasis" (2021), and "High Expression of ENO1 and Low Levels of Circulating Anti-ENO1 Autoantibodies in Patients with Myelodysplastic Neoplasms and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia" (2024). Her contributions advance the understanding of cancer biology and therapeutic strategies.