Professor Cristin Print - The University of Auckland

Biography

I graduated in Medicine from the University of Auckland in 1989 and began research while working as a house surgeon in Dunedin, New Zealand. A PhD in the University of Auckland led to a four-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia using genetic modification techniques to study development and cell death. I then spent six years in Cambridge University, United Kingdom, where I was a Fellow of St Edmunds College and developed a deep interest in genomics and bioinformatics. While there, I was co-founder of a bioinformatics biotechnology company that worked in the United Kingdom, Japan and China and became listed on the Tokyo stock exchange in 2007.

In late 2005 I returned to the University of Auckland. Since then I have enjoyed leading a cross-disciplinary research team of clinicians, biologists, data scientists and statisticians who use genomics, systems biology and bioinformatics to better understand human disease, especially cancer. I have published 135 peer-reviewed papers, which have been cited ~5,000 times.

I currently lead the Genomics Into Medicine Strategic Research Initiative in Auckland and Chair the Auckland Regional Tissue Bank Scientific Advisory Board. I am Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), and a Principle Investigator in the Maurice Wilkins Centre and the 'Healthier Lives' National Science Challenge. Previously, I have been President of the NZ Society for Oncology, Vice President of the Auckland Museum Institute (the Auckland branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Te Apārangi), and Director of the Bioinformatics Institute at the University of Auckland.

Research | Current

Research group

Bioinformatics of Disease

Research interests

Genomics
Bioinformatics
Systems Biology
Cancer

Selected Recent Publications

Lasham A, Knowlton N, Mehta S, Braithwaite W and Print C. TP53 mutation and alternative transcript expression: insights from TP53 long amplicon digital PCR assays. Cancers, 2021, 13(7):1531.
Tran K, Gimenez G, Tsai P, Kolekar S, Rodger E, Chatterjee A, Jabed A, Shih J-H, Joseph W, Marshall E, Wang Q, Print C, Eccles M, Baguley B and Shepherd P. Genomic and signalling pathway characterisation of the NZM panel of melanoma cell lines: a valuable model for studying the impact of genetic diversity in melanoma. Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, 2021, 34(1):136-143
Zou D, Day R, Cocadiz JA, Parackal S, Mitchell W, Black MA, Lawrence B, Fitzgerald S, Print C, Jackson C and Guilford P. Circulating tumor DNA is a sensitive marker for routine monitoring of treatment response in advanced colorectal cancer. Carcinogenesis , 2020, 41(11):1507-1517
Lasham A, Tsai R, Fitzgerald S, Mehta S, Knowlton N, Braithwaite A and Print C. Accessing a new dimension in TP53 biology: Multiplex long amplicon digital PCR to specifically detect and quantitate individual TP53 transcripts. Cancers, 2020, 12(3): Art 769.
Brewer N, Atkinson J, Guilford P, Print C, Blakely T. and Teng A. An estimate of partial cancer prevalence in New Zealand using ‘big’ data. New Zealand Medical Journal, 2000, 133(1514), Art 8.
Routh E, Pullikuth A, Jin G, Chifman J, Chou J, D'agostino R, Seino K-I, Wada H, Print C, Zhang W, LuY and Miller L. Transcriptomic Features of T Cell-barren Tumors are Conserved Across Diverse Tumor Types. Frontiers in Immunology, 2020, 11, Art 57.
Lasham A, Fitzgerald S, Knowlton N, Robb T, Tsai P, Black M, Williams L, Mehta S, Harris G, Shelling A, Blenkiron C and Print C. A predictor of early disease recurrence in breast cancer patients using a cell-free RNA and protein liquid biopsy. Clinical Breast Cancer, 2020, 20(2), 108-116.
Henare K, Parker K, Wihongi H, Blenkiron C, Jansen R, Reid P, Findlay M, Lawrence B, Hudson M, Print C. Mapping a route to Indigenous engagement in cancer genomic research, The Lancet Oncology, 2019, 20(6), e327-e335.
Thomas A, Routh E, Pullikuth A, Jin G, Su J, Chou J, Hoadley K, Print C, N, Black M, Demaria S, Wang E, Bedognetti D, Jones W, Mehta G, Gatza M, Perou C, Page D, Triozzi P and Miller L. Tumor Mutational Burden is a Determinant of Immune-Mediated Survival in Breast Cancer. OncoImmunology, 2018, 7(10), e1490854.
Lawrence B, Blenkiron C, Parker, K, Tsai P, Fitzgerald S, Shields P, Robb T, Yeong ML, Kramer N, James S, Black M, Fan V, Poonawala N, Yap P, Coats E, Woodhouse B, Ramsaroop R, Yozu M, Robinson B, Henare K, Koea J, Johnston P, Carroll R, Connor S, Morrin H, Elston M, Jackson C, Reid P, Windsor J, MacCormick A, Babor R, Bartlett A, Damianovich D, Knowlton N, Grimmond S, Findlay M, Print C. Recurrent loss of heterozygosity correlates with clinical outcome in pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. NPJ Genomic Medicine, 3:18 (doi: 10.1038/s41525-018-0058-3), 2018.
Harris G, O’Toole S, George P, Browett P and Print C. Massively Parallel Sequencing of Solid Tumours – Challenges and Opportunities for Pathologists. Histopathology. 70(1), 123-133, 2017.
Mehta S, Tsai P, Lasham A, Campbell H, Reddel R, Braithwaite B and Print C. A Study of TP53 RNA Splicing Illustrates Pitfalls of RNA-seq Methodology. Cancer Research, 76(24), 7151-7159 2016.

Teaching | Current

MBCHB 221: MBChB Part II: Principles of Medicine module (Coordinator)

PHARMACY 211: Applied Science for Pharmacy

MEDSCI 203: Mechanisms of Disease

BIOINF 301: Introduction to Bioinformatics

MEDSCI 101G: Environmental Threats to Human Health

MEDSCI 731: Advanced Reproductive Biology

Postgraduate supervision

Currently primary supervisor for 4 PhD students and one MD student, in the fields of bioinformatics, cancer genomics and genomic cancer pathology

Distinctions/Honours

1993 New Zealand Society for Oncology Eli Lily prize in Oncology

1994 Auckland Medical Research Society Graduate Research Award

1995 Australian and New Zealand Microcirculation Society Colin Courtice

Young Investigators Award

1999 Wellcome Trust Population Studies Fellowship, UK

2000-2005 Fellow of St Edmund’s College in Cambridge, UK

2007 Visiting Professorial Fellowship, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive
Health, Adelaide University, Australia

2015 Rotary, Paul Harris Award (recognising generation of a program of
translational oncology fellowships)

Responsibilities

2021- Board member: Cancer Research Trust NZ

2020- Deputy Chair of the Crown Research Institute ESR

2019- Scientific Director for solid tumours, Grafton Clinical Genomics

2019- Principle Investigator, 'Healthier Lives' National Science Challenge

2018- Standing member of the Assessment Committee of Cancer Research Trust NZ

2017-2019 Vice President of the Auckland Museum Institute Council / Auckland branch of the
Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi

2017- Member of the Board of Directors of Crown Research Institute ESR

2017- Lead of the University of Auckland Genomics Into Medicine program

2017-2018 Member of the Science Leadership Team, Genomics Aotearoa

2016-2018 The New Zealand Breast Cancer Register Clinical Advisory Committee

2015- Member of the New Zealand eScience Infrastructure Research Reference Group

2015- Chair of the Auckland Regional Tissue Bank Scientific Advisory Board

2015-2018 Member of the University of Auckland eResearch Advisory Board

2015- Principle Investigator, Maurice Wilkins Centre

2015-2019 Member of the Science Leadership Team of the 'Healthier Lives' National Science
Challenge

2014-2017 Standing member of the Genesis Oncology Trust Assessment Committee

2013-2015 President of the New Zealand Society for Oncology

2013-2016 Member of the Auckland Museum Institute Council

2013 Member of the Advisory Group for NZ eResearch 2020

2012-2015 Chair of New Zealand Genomics Limited Project Advisory Group

2011-2015 Member of the Middlemore Tissue Bank Scientific Advisory Board

2011-2019 Member of the editorial board of Frontiers in Cancer Genetics

2011-2019 Member of the editorial board of Frontiers in Pharmacogenetics

2010-2014 Member of New Zealand Genomics Limited Technical Advisory Group

2010-2016 Director, Bioinformatics Institute, University of Auckland

2010 Auckland Bioengineering Institute Scientific Advisory Board

2006- Member, editorial advisory panel for the Biochemical Journal

2003-2006 Member of the editorial board of the journal “Angiogenesis”

2000-2005 Fellow, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, UK