Dr Claire Xin Sun, Victoria Cancer Agency Early Career Research Fellowship (Biomedical); MRFF EMCR Fellow, Bioinformatician
- Postdoctoral Scientist, Cancer Genetics and Functional Genomics
- claire.sun@hudson.org.au
Dr Claire Xin Sun is a member of the Cancer Genetics and Functional Genomics Research group in the Centre for Cancer Research.
Areas of interest
Bowel cancer Childhood cancer Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) Sarcoma
Research group
Cancer Genetics and Functional Genomics
Biography
Dr Claire Xin Sun lead researcher for the Advanced Informatics Program and is a Bioinformatician with the Next Generation Precision Medicine program, led by Prof Ron Firestein.
Dr Sun is an emerging leader and highly skilled computational biologist, specialising in cancer research. She is the current recipient of a Victorian Cancer Agency Early-Career Fellowship (2023-2025) and is an MRFF EMCR Fellow (2024-2026). Since 2018, she has been serving as the lead bioinformatician in the Next Generation Precision Medicine program. Dr Sun is passionate about translating basic research findings into clinical applications by employing state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools, including AI approaches. Recognised for her emerging profile and contributions, Dr Sun has been awarded as 2023 MPCCC Mid-Career Outstanding Cancer Researcher.
Since 2018, Dr Sun has made significant contributions to the development of the computational framework and analytical methods underlying the Childhood Cancer Model Atlas (CCMA), the world’s largest (>300) collection of high-risk paediatric cancer cell lines which provides a unique, open-source facility to every paediatric oncologist and childhood cancer researcher worldwide. This innovative atlas aims to enable data-driven discovery of new therapeutic targets for paediatric cancers with low survival rates. As the lead bioinformatician, Dr Sun works closely with a multidisciplinary team of 25 scientists and paediatric oncologists, and lead the publication of the first CCMA data resource paper in Cancer Cell.
Dr Sun has a strong research focus on cancer epigenetics, beginning with her master’s degree and continuing during her PhD, where she explored microRNA biomarkers and epigenetic regulation of mitochondrial genomics. Over the past five years, she has led bioinformatics efforts and coordinated multidisciplinary research to integrate functional and epigenomic analyses in various cancer epigenetics studies. Her work has identified therapeutic targets and biomarker-associated combination therapies, generating industry interest for potential clinical trial development. With her proficiency in sophisticated computational analyses, Dr Sun has developed her new interest in targeting the dysregulated epigenome to enhance immunotherapy response using the most cutting-edge integrative multi-omics and AI approaches.
Dr Sun is also a supervisor for two junior bioinformatics staff members and students (Honours, PhD students) and is actively engaged in the paediatric cancer community through her active participation in the VPCC Patient and Family Advisory Committee, and charity events sponsored by different foundations.
Student opportunities
Publication highlights
