Camelia Quek
Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne, UNSW Sydney, Nanyang Polytechnic
Research areas: Medicine · Oncology · Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers · Cutaneous Melanoma Detection and Management · Immune cells in cancer
0000-0002-1244-961X
About
Dr Camelia Quek is a NHMRC Investigator Fellow at Melanoma Institute Australia, Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, and Steering Committee at the Cancer Research Network. Dr Quek originally did a first degree in molecular biology at the University of New South Wales (University Medal in Molecular Biology) before moving on to do a PhD in RNA transcriptomics and bioinformatics at the University of Melbourne (Sawyer Medal). Dr Quek is a cancer researcher who is an expert in the clinical integration and interpretation of high-dimensional data obtained from cancer patients, and uses these discoveries to address most pressing questions in the field. Dr Quek’s early research has made significant advances in understanding cancer biology and tumour microenvironment in melanoma patients treated with immunotherapy, using gene expression profiles to discover biomarkers in response to cancer therapies, and single-cell multi-omics to guide clinical decision-making.
Her research impact and contributions are recognised in Australia and worldwide. Over the past years, she has received several prestigious awards including 2022 CINSW Premier’s Awards for Wildfire Highly Cited Publication (co-first authors, Cancer Cell 2019), 2021 10x Millennium Science Start Single Cell Award, and 2017 CINSW Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Translational Research Team. She has also received 3X Best Poster Winner 2014, 2017 and 2018, and Best Oral Talk 2017 and 2023 at both international and national conferences.
Dr Quek’s research program focuses on understanding the immunogenic expression profiles in patients treated with cancer therapies, key proteins and biological mechanisms driving cellular identity and heterogeneity within tumour and immune microenvironment, particularly in the context of biomarker, drug resistance, druggable targets and how tumour heterogeneity shapes disease progression. Her current research interests are: (1) Biomarkers of response and resistance to cancer therapies, (2) Single-cell multi-omics to understand treatment and progression, and (3) Spatial imaging to dissect key cellular interactions and novel drug targets.
Aside from research, Dr Quek is appointed as an Associate Editor in Molecular Carcinogenesis (2023 - Present), Review Editor at Frontiers (2021 - Present), Special Issue Editor (2021 - Present) in International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS), and as well as Genes. She is also a frequent reviewer for Nature, BMC Cancer, IJMS, Frontiers in Oncology, and Frontiers in Digital Health. In addition, Dr Quek is an Ambassador (2017 - Present) for European Association of Cancer Research. For academic activities, she is a USYD Panel Chair for PhD Progress Evaluation Meeting, PhD thesis examiner, and Honours examiner for presentation and thesis. She is a leading supervisor for several Honours and PhD students. Furthermore, Dr Quek is a co-investigator in Data Access Committee, where sequencing data generated for the purposes of biomedical, clinical and translational research projects are frequently deposited and shared in TCGA, ENA and EGA so that researchers can undertake similar studies worldwide.
Employment
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Melanoma Institute Australia NHMRC Investigator Fellow2025 - Present
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The University of Sydney Adjunct Associate Professor2025 - Present
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The University of Sydney Honorary Senior Research Fellow/Adjunct Senior Lecturer2021 - 2025
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Melanoma Institute Australia Cancer Institute NSW Research Fellow2021 - 2024
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The University of Sydney Research Affiliate2016 - 2021
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Melanoma Institute Australia Postdoctoral Scientist2016 - 2021
Education
- 2012 - 2016
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University of New South Wales Bachelor in Advanced Science (Hons Class I - University Medal)2009 - 2011
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Nanyang Polytechnic Diploma in Molecular Biotechnology with Merit (Gold Medal)2006 - 2009
Projects & Funding
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NHMRC Investigator Grant National Health and Medical Research Council2025 - Present
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Dissecting novel therapeutic resistance in high-risk melanoma patients treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy Tour de Cure2023 - 2024
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NHMRC Ideas Grants National Health and Medical Research Council2023 - 2026
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CINSW Early Career Fellowship Cancer Institute of New South Wales2021 - 2024
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Identifying novel immune checkpoint targets for immunotherapy in melanoma patients University of Sydney2020 - 2021
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Improving survival in melanoma patients Sydney Catalyst Pilot2020 - 2021
Publications (123)
- Data from Intratumoral CD16+ Macrophages Are Associated with Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma Treated with Combination Anti-PD-1 and Anti-CTLA-4 Therapy Save
- Data from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Figure S1 from Intratumoral CD16+ Macrophages Are Associated with Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma Treated with Combination Anti-PD-1 and Anti-CTLA-4 Therapy Save
- Supplementary Figure S1 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Figure S2 from Intratumoral CD16+ Macrophages Are Associated with Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma Treated with Combination Anti-PD-1 and Anti-CTLA-4 Therapy Save
- Supplementary Figure S2 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Figure S3 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Figure S4 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Figure S5 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Figure S6 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Figure S7 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Figure S8 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Table 2 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Table 3 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Table 4 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Table 5 from Obesity Is Associated with Altered Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma Save
- Supplementary Table S1 from Intratumoral CD16+ Macrophages Are Associated with Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma Treated with Combination Anti-PD-1 and Anti-CTLA-4 Therapy Save
- Supplementary Table S2 from Intratumoral CD16+ Macrophages Are Associated with Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma Treated with Combination Anti-PD-1 and Anti-CTLA-4 Therapy Save
- Supplementary Table S3 from Intratumoral CD16+ Macrophages Are Associated with Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma Treated with Combination Anti-PD-1 and Anti-CTLA-4 Therapy Save
- Supplementary Table S4 from Intratumoral CD16+ Macrophages Are Associated with Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma Treated with Combination Anti-PD-1 and Anti-CTLA-4 Therapy Save