Erica Sloan 26th Lorne Cancer Conference 2014

Erica Sloan

Dr Erica Sloan is a cancer biologist at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a Senior Lecturer at Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy. Her research program investigates the impact of chronic stress on cancer progression, with the overarching goal of identifying novel targets for pharmacological intervention to stop metastasis. Using advanced optical imaging technology and microscopy for real-time analyses of neural-tumour dynamics, Erica’s research team discovered that stress acts through the sympathetic nervous system to promote metastasis from tumours to distant organs. She discovered that neural signalling impacts both tumour cells and the tumour microenvironment. These findings have identified multiple cellular and molecular targets for intervention. Her team are now evaluating these new anti-cancer strategies in cancer patients in prospective clinical trials. Dr Sloan holds adjunct positions at Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne and at the University of California, Los Angeles.