Dr. Maija Kohonen Corish

Biography

Professor Maija Kohonen-Corish is a research leader at Macquarie University and head of the Woolcock Centre for Lung Cancer. With a track record in discovering basic and translational research associated with lung and colorectal cancer, she is a certified molecular geneticist with the Human Genetics Society Australasia. She completed her BSc and MSc at the University of Helsinki and subsequently earned her PhD from the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Australia. Kohonen-Corish has contributed significantly to the identification of inherited gene defects linked to Lynch Syndrome and is a member of the Variant Interpretation Committee for the International Society for Gastrointestinal Hereditary Tumors (InSiGHT). She previously served as a fellow at Cancer Institute NSW and led lung and colon cancer research at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. In 2019, she was appointed to the Woolcock Centre for Lung Cancer, where she leads initiatives to develop new diagnostic microbiome-based tools and cancer therapies. Her research has established novel biomarkers that improve the clinical management of cancer patients and inform therapeutic responses. Kohonen-Corish's contributions to cancer research include the development of new mouse models for aggressive types of colon cancer and a focus on leveraging microbiome research to enhance treatment outcomes for cancer patients.

Research Interests

Experience