Sophia Frentzas
Dr Frentzas is a medical oncologist and clinical researcher at Monash Health, as well as an adjunct senior lecturer at Monash University. She focuses primarily on treating gynaecological and gastrointestinal malignancies and leads several international and national clinical trials (Phase I, II and III studies) at the Clinical Trials Centre (CTC) of the Monash Health Translational Precinct (MHTP). Throughout her career, Dr Frentzas has undertaken specialty training and research fellowships in the drug development unit and translational research at the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) and Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). She has completed a laboratory PhD (ICR, London, 2014), focusing on delineating mechanisms of resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy. Her main research interests are now focused on novel and personal approaches for the treatment of solid tumours, particularly in targeting aberrant pathways for angiogenesis, immuno-oncology, and on the investigation of strategies to overcome resistance to conventionally employed therapeutic agents. In particular, she has an interest in clinical, tissue, and imaging biomarker correlates of systemic therapy sensitivity and resistance, as evidenced by her published translational work in advanced colorectal cancer (Frentzas et al., Nature Medicine, 2016) and others (Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, The Journal of Pathology, Cancer Research, European Journal of Cancer, British Journal of Cancer, Angiogenesis, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology). A large component of her doctorate degree was in the laboratory where she developed preclinical models of colorectal liver metastases. She unravelled a potential new target for non-angiogenic growth and invasion. Furthermore, as a contributing member of the recently established MHTP translational cancer research laboratory, Dr Frentzas is also responsible for the development and conduct of investigator-initiated trials (IITs) and other translational research.As a clinician and trialist based at the MHTP, she is ideally placed to collaborate closely with local investigators (both in the clinic and in the laboratory, e.g Prof Hertzog). Such partnerships are invaluable in facilitating the efficient, precise, and safe development of the novel targeted agents and biomarkers but will also accelerate relevant translational research in this area of unmet clinical need Dr Frentzas has extensive clinical and trial experience in combined modality therapy, particularly with TKIs, small molecule inhibitors, and immunotherapy. As a clinical trialist, and a contributing member of the translational cancer research laboratory, she brings a strong track record of trial conduct, and research in tumour angiogenesis, tumour heterogeneity and tumour-stromal interactions. Dr Frentzas has extensive clinical experience in the treatment of gastrointestinal, gynaecological cancers, and in the development and conduct of Phase I-III clinical trials for these tumour streams. During her previous placements at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, she worked with leaders in the field of gynaecological and GI carcinomas and was involved as investigator for several pivotal trials (e.g. SCOTROC, ICON, SOLO-1 -2, AVANT, STO3, REAL, MAGIC). Most recently she has been PI and SI for several international and national, industry and ANZGOG / AGITG Phase II-III clinical trials (e.g MK-3475 A18, MK3475-826, MK7902-001, MK-7339-001 (ENGOT Ov43), PHAEDRA, AbbVIE, MILLENIUM, DYNAMIC Ovarian, iPRIME, PRECISE, ICON9). A lot of these trials have employed targeted therapies such as small molecule inhibitors, TKIs, and immunotherapy agents. Since commencing at Monash in February 2018, Dr Frentzas has brought 15 new clinical trials to CTC and is the Monash Health PI on for more than 20 Phase I-III studies. Dr Frentzas’ experience and familiarity with the clinical, therapeutic and translational aspects of studying these solid tumours will be a valuable contribution to this proposal. Her research has been published in a number of peer-reviewed, high impact factor journals, and abstracts, and she has also published in book chapters. She has also had the opportunity to present her work at several national and international conferences.