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Distinguished Professor
Judith Clements
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Biography
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Judith Clements initiated and led the Cancer Program within the School of Biomedical Sciences (then Life Sciences) and then at IHBI from 1997-2014. She was co-founder and former Scientific Director of the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre-Queensland, within the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology, based at the Translational Research Institute on the Princess Alexandra Hospital Biomedical Precinct until her retirement in 2017. She led the Kallikrein Protease and Tumour Microenvironment Group where the focus of her research was the role of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (the current test for prostate cancer)-related peptidases and their utility as biomarkers or therapeutic targets for prostate and ovarian cancer. In recognition of her contribution to the kallikrein field internationally, she was awarded the prestigious EK Frey Werle Silver & Gold Medals, in 2000 & 2007, respectively. She was an elected member of the International Proteolysis Society Council for 2014-2017 and awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership in 2019. As of 2025, she had >290 publications (>22,900 citations; H index 79) in scientific journals and collaborated widely with colleagues in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe. She co-founded and directed until 2017 the national prostate cancer tissue bank – the Australian Prostate Cancer BioResource - which is a key resource (>6700 men recruited to date) that underpins prostate cancer research nationally. She was continuously funded as an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow for 16 years from 2000-2016. She was awarded the Queensland Women in Technology Biotech Outstanding Achievement Award for 2012, and the prestigious title of Distinguished Professor, the first woman in QUT’s history, in 2013 and Emeritus in 2018. She became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health & Medical Sciences in 2017. In 2015, she was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the biological sciences and to education, through seminal contributions to improving the understanding of cancers, particularly prostate cancer, as an advocate for the development of biomedical research facilities, and to the training of scientists. She became a Queensland Great and was a Queensland Senior Australian of the Year nominee in 2019 and became a Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022.Research theme: Health
Research discipline: Cell and Molecular Biosciences
Research program: Hormone Dependent Cancer
Research area
Functional role of Kallikrein proteases in prostate, breast and ovarian cancer. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and other members of the Kallikrein protease family are best known for their biomarker utility. This project aims to determine their functional roles (and therapeutic potential) by identifying their in vivo substrates. Role of variant Kallikrein isoforms in cancer. The Kallikrein protease family of 15 genes has 780 various transcripts many of which are only expressed in cancer. This project aims to determine if these isoforms have specific functional roles in cancer progression. Role of Kallikrein proteases in bone metastasis. Bone metastasis is the typical outcome of advanced prostate cancer but little is known of the underlying mechanisms. This project aims to determine what role PSA and the related Kallikrein proteases play in this disease. Predictive and prognostic biomarker potential of Kallikrein proteases. This project aims to determine if there are genetic changes (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) in the Kallikrein genes that may be predictors of prostate or ovarian cancer.
Areas of expertise
- Prostate cancer
- Ovarian and breast cancer
- Biomarkers for cancer progression
- Kallikrein proteases
- Therapeutic targets.
- Functional role of Kallikrein proteases in prostate, breast and ovarian cancer
- Role of variant Kallikrein isoforms in cancer
- Role of Kallikrein proteases in bone metastasis
- Predictive and prognostic biomarker potential of Kallikrein proteases.
Personal details
Positions
- Adjunct Professor
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Keywords
Biomarkers, Hormone dependent cancers, Kallikrein proteases, Ovarian cancer, Prostate cancer, Therapeutic targets, Translational research
Research field
Oncology and carcinogenesis, Biochemistry and cell biology
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (Monash University)
- MAppSc (Royal Melbourne Inst. of Tech)
Professional memberships and associations
- Aus & New Zealand Urogenital & Prostrate Cancer Clinical Trials Group
- Australian Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Endocrine Society of Australia
- Human Proteome Organisation
- International Proteolysis Society
- Metastasis Research Society
- The EMT International Association
- Women in Technology
Teaching
Teaching discipline:
Cell and Molecular Biosciences
Teaching areas:
- Molecular and cell biology of cancer
- Diagnostic and therapeutic targets for cancer.
Publications
- Eeles, R., Giles, G., Neal, D., Muir, K., Easton, D., Kedda, M., Clements, J., O'Mara, T., Hinze, K., Nelson, C. & Newman, B. (2008). Reply to Variation in KLK genes, prostate-specific antigen and risk of prostate cancer. Nature Genetics, 40(9), 1035–1036. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/224600
- Ramsay, A., Dong, Y., Hunt, M., Linn, M., Samaratunga, H., Clements, J. & Hooper, J. (2008). Kallikrein-related peptidase 4 (KLK4) initiates intracellular signaling via protease-activated receptors (PARs): KLK4 and PAR-2 are Co-expressed During Prostate Cancer Progression. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 283(18), 12293–12304. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/224751
- Lai, J., Kedda, M., Hinze, K., Smith, R., Yaxley, J., Spurdle, A., Morris, C., Harris, J. & Clements, J. (2007). PSA/KLK3 AREI Promoter Polymorphism Alters Androgen Receptor Binding and is Associated with Prostate Cancer Susceptibility. Carcinogenesis, 28(5), 1032–1039. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/8855
- Swedberg, J., Nigon, L., Reid, J., De Veer, S., Walpole, C., Stephens, C., Walsh, T., Takayama, T., Hooper, J., Clements, J., Buckle, A. & Harris, J. (2009). Substrate-guided design of a potent and selective kallikrein-related peptidase inhibitor for kallikrein 4. Chemistry and Biology, 16(6), 633–643. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/42723
- Veveris-Lowe, T., Lawrence, M., Collard, R., Bui, L., Herington, A., Nicol, D. & Clements, J. (2005). Kallikrein 4 (hK4) and Prostate-specific Antigen (PSA) are Associated with the loss of E-cadherin and an Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition (EMT)-like Effect in Prostate Cancer Cells. Endocrine-Related Cancer, 12, 631–643. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/23829
- Dong, Y., Bui, L., Odorico, D., Tan, O., Myers, S., Samaratunga, H., Gardiner, R. & Clements, J. (2005). Compartmentalized Expression of Kallikrein 4 (KLK4/hK4) Isoforms in Prostate Cancer: Nuclear, Cytoplasmic and Secreted Forms. Endocrine-Related Cancer, 12(4), 875–889. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/10655
- Hugo, H., Ackland, L., Blick, T., Lawrence, M., Clements, J., Williams, E. & Thompson, E. (2007). Epithelial-Mesenchymal And Mesenchymal - Epithelial Transitions In Carcinoma Progression. Journal of Cellular Physiology, 213(2), 374–383. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/42926
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Judith, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/j.clements
Supervision
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- The Long and Short of a Genome Wide Association Study Identified 5p15 Locus in Prostate Cancer (2026)
- The Biomarker and Therapeutic Potential of MicroRNAs in Prostate Cancer (2025)
- Androgen targeted therapy induced proteomic alterations in prostate cancer (2024)
- Genetic Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer (2021)
- Identification and Characterisation of Prostate Cancer-Associated Genetic Variations Modulating the MIRNA Regulome (2021)
- The Role of GWAS Identified 5p15 Locus in Prostate Cancer Risk and Progression (2019)
- Three Dimensional Prostate Cancer Model Systems (2018)
- Functional Analysis of Prostate Cancer-Associated Germline Variants in the Kallikrein-3 Gene (2017)
- Investigation of the Potential Anticancer Effects of Lycopene in Tissue Engineered In vitro and In vivo Models (2017)
- Determination of the Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 7 Degradome and Transciptome in Ovarian Cancer (2016)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.