Amanda Khoury

Dr. Amanda Khoury is a Research Officer in the Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.1 She is also a Superstar of STEM.13 Khoury is passionate about studying how the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the genome influences cell function and disease.1 She uses AI to develop the next generation of cancer treatments and diagnostics.4

Khoury's career:

• She joined the Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory in January 2013.1
• She started her career as an Honours student at the Centenary Institute.2
• She obtained a Bachelor of Medical Science degree at the University of Sydney.1
• In 2010, she earned First Class Honours in Infectious Diseases and Immunology from the Centenary Institute’s Vascular Biology Laboratory.1
• In 2017, Khoury obtained her PhD, examining the function of CTCF, a mediator of 3D genome architecture.1

Khoury's research focuses on how DNA is organized in 3D space within cells, or genome folding, which regulates gene expression and cell function.1 According to Khoury, DNA must be compacted by being tightly folded to fit within each cell.3 Different combinations of folds give rise to different cell identities, so the DNA in heart cells is folded differently to the DNA in brain cells.3 She is interested in what causes DNA damage and where the structure becomes compromised.3 Khoury's goal is to find ways to prevent DNA damage and develop therapies that repair the broken 3D structures of DNA within cells.3 Her work has shown that alterations to the ‘origami’ of DNA folding may be a key driver of cancer and that pinpointing the specific epigenetic changes that contribute to tumour formation may guide the development of new cancer therapies targeting the 3D genome.1

Khoury is a Chief Investigator on an NHMRC Ideas Grant (2023–2025), focusing on the functional impact of CTCF binding site mutations in 3D cancer genome regulation.1 She engages in science communication, presenting seminars on epigenetics and genomics to audiences of all ages.1