- About
- People
- Projects
- Key Publications
- Collaborations

Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer among women, with approximately 13,000 new cases diagnosed each year in Australia. Our Breast Biology and Cancer Unit are researching the basis of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underpin this high incidence of breast cancer. We use a variety of mouse models, together with human breast tissue, to study how key risk factors, including menstrual cycling and breast density, lead to increased susceptibility of the mammary gland to cancer. We focus on how these risk factors affect the ability of the immune system to protect this unique tissue against carcinogens and other cancer initiating factors. The overarching objective of our research is to provide therapies that reduce a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
In addition to studies on breast cancer susceptibility, we also conduct mastitis research. Mastitis is a common inflammatory disease in lactating women that causes pain, fever, low milk supply and leads many to cease breastfeeding. This research explores the cellular mechanisms that lead to inflammation, and investigates potential therapies to quickly and effectively stop the symptoms of mastitis.
The Breast Biology and Cancer Unit was established at the BHI in 2011 as part of the collaborative links established at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH).
Research projects for Honours, Masters and PhD students are available in our laboratory – please read the Projects available and contact wendy.ingman@adelaide.edu.au to discuss these further.
Other related websites: INFORMD (INformation FORum on Mammographic Density) and the Australian Breast Cancer Research website.
Researchers
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Associate Professor Wendy Ingman
Position: Lead Researcher
Theme: Cancer
Phone: +61 8 8222 6141
Email: wendy.ingman@adelaide.edu.au
Profile: View profile
UoA: Wendy Ingman
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Dr Pallave Dasari
Position: Postdoctoral Researcher
Theme: Cancer
Phone: +61 8 8133 4001
Profile: View profile
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Leigh Hodson
Position: Research Assistant
Theme: Cancer
Phone: +61 8 8222 6590
Email: leigh.hodson@adelaide.edu.au
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Dr Sarah Bernhardt
Position: Postdoctoral Researcher
Theme: Cancer
Profile: View profile
UoA: Sarah Bernhardt
Students
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Joe Wrin
Position: Student
Theme: Cancer
Email: joe.wrin@adelaide.edu.au
Profile: View profile
UofA: Joe Wrin
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Amita G Ghadge
Position: Student
Theme: Cancer
Email: amita.ghadge@adelaide.edu.au
Profile: View profile
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Student Alumni (since 2017)
Name | Degree | Year Awarded | Thesis title | Supervisors |
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Sarah Bernhardt | PhD, The University of Adelaide | 2020 | The effect of menstrual cycling on genomic predictive biomarkers in premenopausal breast cancer | Ingman W, Price T, Townsend A |
Maddison Archer | PhD, The University of Adelaide | 2020 | Immune Modulation of Mammographic Density and Breast Cancer Risk | Ingman W, Evdokiou A, Dasari P |
Vahid Atashgaran | PhD, The University of Adelaide. Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. | 2018 | Hormone and transcription factor regulation of cytokines in the mammary gland | Ingman W, Dasari P, Barry S |
Siti Noor Din | PhD, The University of Adelaide. | 2017 | Effect of C1q null mutation on mammary gland development | Ingman W, Robertson S |
For a list of all publications please visit A/Prof Wendy Ingman’s University of Adelaide Researcher Profile.
Ingman WV. The gut microbiome: a new player in breast cancer metastasis. Cancer Research; 2019. 79(14):3539-3541.
Pubmed Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31308136
Hugo HJ, Zysk A, Dasari P, Britt K, Hopper JL, Stone J, Thompson EW, Ingman WV. InforMD: A new initiative to raise public awareness about breast density. eCancer; 2018. 12:807.
Pubmed Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29492101
Atashgaran V, Wrin J, Barry SC, Dasari P, Ingman WV. Dissecting the biology of menstrual cycle-associated breast cancer risk. Frontiers in Oncology; 2016. 6:267.
Pubmed Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5183603/
Sun X, Glynn DJ, Hodson LJ, Huo C, Britt K, Thompson E, Woolford L, Evdokiou A, Pollard JW, Robertson SA, Ingman WV. CCL2-driven inflammation increases mammary gland stromal density and cancer susceptibility in a transgenic mouse model. Breast Cancer Research; 2017. 19(1):4.
Pubmed Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28077158
Bernhardt SM, Dasari P, Walsh D, Townsend AR, Price TJ, Ingman WV. Hormonal modulation of breast cancer gene expression: implications for intrinsic subtyping in premenopausal women. Frontiers in Oncology; 2016. 6:241.
Pubmed Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27896218
Ingman WV, Glynn DJ, Hutchinson MR. Inflammatory mediators in mastitis and lactation insufficiency. Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia; 2014, 19:161–167.
Pubmed Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24961655
BHI Collaborators: Andreas Evdokiou, Tim Price, Amanda Townsend
External Collaborators: Kara Britt, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia; Simon Barry, Mark Hutchinson and Lucy Woolford from The University of Adelaide; Erik Thompson, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.