Dr Malcolm Lim

NHMRC Research Officer

UQ Centre for Clinical Research
Faculty of Medicine
malcolm.lim@uq.edu.au
+61 7 334 66120

Overview

Dr Malcolm Lim is a molecular biologist who specialises in breast cancer brain metastasis. Currently, he works in the Molecular Breast Pathology Lab with Profs Sunil Lakhani and Peter Simpson at The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research.

Dr Lim's research interests lies in understanding the mechanisms that contribute to the development of brain metastases, identifying new therapeutic targets, and finding innovative therapeutic approaches to improve brain metastasis treatment.

Dr Lim obtained his BSc (Hons) in biomedical science followed by a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Queensland. During his doctoral studies, he explored the prevalence of human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER) in brain metatases and the efficacy of HER2/HER3-targeting hyperbranched polymeric nanomedicine for delivery of chemo- and radiotherapy in breast cancer brain metastasis.

Prior to his academic career, Dr Lim spent five years as a laboratory scientist in a diagnostic histopathology laboratory (2010-2015).

Research Interests

  • Brain metastasis
    Mechanisms underpinning the development of brain metastasis and new therapeutic strategies, CNS-penetrating targeted therapeutics, metastatic animal models

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy of Cancer Cell Biology, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Cancer Cell Biology, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Science, The University of Queensland
  • Diploma of Biomedical Science

Publications

  • Joshi, Vaibhavi, Beecher, Kate, Lim, Malcolm, Stacey, Andrew, Feng, Yufan, Jat, Parmjit S., Duijf, Pascal H. G., Simpson, Peter T., Lakhani, Sunil R. and McCart Reed, Amy E. (2024). B7-H3 expression in breast cancer and brain metastasis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25 (7) 3976, 1-17. doi: 10.3390/ijms25073976

  • Lim, Malcolm, Fletcher, Nicholas L., Saunus, Jodi M., McCart Reed, Amy E., Chittoory, Haarika, Simpson, Peter T., Thurecht, Kristofer J. and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2023). Targeted hyperbranched nanoparticles for delivery of doxorubicin in breast cancer brain metastasis. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 20 (12), 6169-6183. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00558

  • Hancock, Janelle L., Kalimutho, Murugan, Straube, Jasmin, Lim, Malcolm, Gresshoff, Irma, Saunus, Jodi M., Lee, Jason S., Lakhani, Sunil R., Simpson, Kaylene J., Bush, Ashley I., Anderson, Robin L. and Khanna, Kum Kum (2023). COMMD3 loss drives invasive breast cancer growth by modulating copper homeostasis. Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research, 42 (1) 90, 1-16. doi: 10.1186/s13046-023-02663-8

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Grants

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Available Projects

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Publications

Journal Article

  • Joshi, Vaibhavi, Beecher, Kate, Lim, Malcolm, Stacey, Andrew, Feng, Yufan, Jat, Parmjit S., Duijf, Pascal H. G., Simpson, Peter T., Lakhani, Sunil R. and McCart Reed, Amy E. (2024). B7-H3 expression in breast cancer and brain metastasis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25 (7) 3976, 1-17. doi: 10.3390/ijms25073976

  • Lim, Malcolm, Fletcher, Nicholas L., Saunus, Jodi M., McCart Reed, Amy E., Chittoory, Haarika, Simpson, Peter T., Thurecht, Kristofer J. and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2023). Targeted hyperbranched nanoparticles for delivery of doxorubicin in breast cancer brain metastasis. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 20 (12), 6169-6183. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00558

  • Hancock, Janelle L., Kalimutho, Murugan, Straube, Jasmin, Lim, Malcolm, Gresshoff, Irma, Saunus, Jodi M., Lee, Jason S., Lakhani, Sunil R., Simpson, Kaylene J., Bush, Ashley I., Anderson, Robin L. and Khanna, Kum Kum (2023). COMMD3 loss drives invasive breast cancer growth by modulating copper homeostasis. Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research, 42 (1) 90, 1-16. doi: 10.1186/s13046-023-02663-8

  • Lim, Malcolm, Fletcher, Nicholas, Reed, Amy Mccart, Flint, Melanie, Thurecht, Kristofer, Saunus, Jodi and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2022). Modeling brain metastasis by internal carotid artery injection of cancer cells. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2022 (186) e64216. doi: 10.3791/64216

  • Saunus, Jodi M., De Luca, Xavier M., Northwood, Korinne, Raghavendra, Ashwini, Hasson, Alexander, McCart Reed, Amy E., Lim, Malcolm, Lal, Samir, Vargas, A. Cristina, Kutasovic, Jamie R., Dalley, Andrew J., Miranda, Mariska, Kalaw, Emarene, Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Gresshoff, Irma, Al-Ejeh, Fares, Gee, Julia M. W., Ormandy, Chris, Khanna, Kum Kum, Beesley, Jonathan, Chenevix-Trench, Georgia, Green, Andrew R., Rakha, Emad A., Ellis, Ian O., Nicolau, Dan V., Simpson, Peter T. and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2022). Epigenome erosion and SOX10 drive neural crest phenotypic mimicry in triple-negative breast cancer. npj Breast Cancer, 8 (1) 57, 1-16. doi: 10.1038/s41523-022-00425-x

  • Lim, Malcolm, Nguyen, Tam H., Niland, Colleen, Reid, Lynne E., Jat, Parmjit S., Saunus, Jodi M. and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2022). Landscape of epidermal growth factor receptor heterodimers in brain metastases. Cancers, 14 (3), 533. doi: 10.3390/cancers14030533

  • Croft, Priyakshi Kalita-de, Chittoory, Haarika, Nguyen, Tam H., Saunus, Jodi M., Kim, Woo Gyeong, Reed, Amy E. McCart, Lim, Malcolm, De Luca, Xavier M., Ferguson, Kaltin, Niland, Colleen, Mazzieri, Roberta, Dolcetti, Riccardo, Simpson, Peter T. and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2021). Characterization of immune cell subsets of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in brain metastases. Biology, 10 (5) 425, 425. doi: 10.3390/biology10050425

  • Kalaw, Emarene, Lim, Malcolm, Kutasovic, Jamie R., Sokolova, Anna, Taege, Lucinda, Johnstone, Kate, Bennett, James, Saunus, Jodi M., Niland, Colleen, Ferguson, Kaltin, Gresshoff, Irma, Bettington, Mark, Pathmanathan, Nirmala, Tse, Gary M., Papadimos, David, Pathmanathan, Rajadurai, Harris, Gavin, Yamaguchi, Rin, Tan, Puay Hoon, Fox, Stephen, O’Toole, Sandra A., Simpson, Peter T., Lakhani, Sunil R. and McCart Reed, Amy E. (2020). Metaplastic breast cancers frequently express immune checkpoint markers FOXP3 and PD-L1. British Journal of Cancer, 123 (11), 1665-1672. doi: 10.1038/s41416-020-01065-3

  • Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Lim, Malcolm, Chittoory, Haarika, de Luca, Xavier M., Kutasovic, Jamie R., Day, Bryan W., Al-Ejeh, Fares, Simpson, Peter T., McCart Reed, Amy E., Lakhani, Sunil R. and Saunus, Jodi M. (2020). Clinicopathologic significance of nuclear HER4 and phospho-YAP(S127) in human breast cancers and matching brain metastases. Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology, 12, 175883592094625. doi: 10.1177/1758835920946259

  • Adwal, Alaknanda, Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Shakya, Reshma, Lim, Malcolm, Kalaw, Emarene, Taege, Lucinda D., McCart Reed, Amy E., Lakhani, Sunil R., Callen, David F. and Saunus, Jodi M. (2020). Tradeoff between metabolic i-proteasome addiction and immune evasion in triple-negative breast cancer. Life Science Alliance, 3 (7) e201900562, 1-12. doi: 10.26508/lsa.201900562

  • Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Straube, Jasmin, Lim, Malcolm, Al-Ejeh, Fares, Lakhani, Sunil R. and Saunus, Jodi M. (2019). Proteomic analysis of the breast cancer brain metastasis microenvironment. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20 (10) 2524, 2524. doi: 10.3390/ijms20102524

  • Lim, Malcolm, Puttick, Simon, Houston, Zachary H., Thurecht, Kristofer J., Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Mahler, Stephen, Rose, Stephen E., Jeffree, Rosalind L., Mazzieri, Roberta, Dolcetti, Riccardo, Lakhani, Sunil R. and Saunus, Jodi M. (2019). Innovative therapeutic strategies for effective treatment of brain metastases. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20 (6) 1280. doi: 10.3390/ijms20061280

  • McCart Reed, Amy Ellen, Kalaw, Emarene, Nones, Katia, Bettington, Mark, Lim, Malcolm, Bennett, James, Johnstone, Kate, Kutasovic, Jamie Rose, Saunus, Jodi Marie, Kazakoff, Stephen, Xu, Qinying, Wood, Scott, Holmes, Oliver, Leonard, Conrad, Reid, Lynne Estelle, Black, Debra, Niland, Colleen, Ferguson, Kaltin, Gresshoff, Irma, Raghavendra, Ashwini, Harvey, Kate, Cooper, Caroline, Liu, Cheng, Kalinowski, Lauren, Reid, Andrew Scott, Davidson, Morgan, Pearson, John V, Pathmanathan, Nirmala, Tse, Gary ... Lakhani, Sunil R. (2019). Phenotypic and molecular dissection of Metaplastic Breast Cancer and the prognostic implications. Journal of Pathology, 247 (2), 214-227. doi: 10.1002/path.5184

  • How, Guo Yuan, Chang, Kenneth Tou En, Jacobsen, Anette Sundfor, Yap, Te-Lu, Ong, Caroline Choo Phaik, Low, Yee, Allen, John Carson, Kuick, Chik Hong, Lim, Malcolm Zhun Leong and Laksmi, Narasimhan Kannan (2018). Neuronal defects an etiological factor in congenital pelviureteric junction obstruction?. Journal of Pediatric Urology, 14 (1), 51.e1-51.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2017.07.014

  • Hernandez-Perez, S., Cabrera, E., Salido, E., Lim, M., Reid, L., Lakhani, S. R., Khanna, K. K., Saunus, J. M. and Freire, R. (2017). DUB3 and USP7 de-ubiquitinating enzymes control replication inhibitor Geminin: molecular characterization and associations with breast cancer. Oncogene, 36 (33), 4802-4809. doi: 10.1038/onc.2017.21

  • Saunus, Jodi M., McCart Reed, Amy E., Lim, Zhun Leong and Lakhani, Sunil R. (2017). Breast cancer brain metastases: clonal evolution in clinical context. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18 (1) 152, 152. doi: 10.3390/ijms18010152

  • Yan, Benedict, Kuick, Chik Hong, Lim, Malcolm, Yong, Min Hwee, Lee, Chi Kuen, Low, Sharon Y.Y., Low, David C.Y., Lim, Diana, Soh, Shui Yen and Chang, Kenneth T.E. (2016). Characterization of anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive medulloblastomas. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 23, 120-122. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2015.08.017

  • Yan, Benedict, Kuick, Chik Hong, Lim, Malcolm, Venkataraman, Kavita, Tennakoon, Chandana, Loh, Eva, Lian, Derrick, Leong, May Ying, Lakshmanan, Manikandan, Tergaonkar, Vinay, Sung, Wing-Kin, Soh, Shui Yen and Chang, Kenneth T.E. (2014). Platform comparison for evaluation of ALK protein immunohistochemical expression, genomic copy number and hotspot mutation status in neuroblastomas. PLoS ONE, 9 (9) e106575, e106575. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106575

  • Yan, Benedict, Lim, Malcolm, Zhou, Lihan, Kuick, Chik Hong, Leong, May Ying, Yong, Kol Jia, Aung, LeLe, Salto-Tellez, Manuel and Chang, Kenneth T. E. (2013). Identification of MET genomic amplification, protein expression and alternative splice isoforms in neuroblastomas. Journal of Clinical Pathology, 66 (11), 985-991. doi: 10.1136/jclinpath-2012-201375

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.