1342690
Dr Jacqui Mcgovern
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Biography
Dr Jacqui McGovern is an interdisciplinary researcher who utilizes biomaterials and tissue engineering techniques to generate in vitro and in vivo models of bone metastatic cancers (e.g. breast and prostate cancer), as well as bone-resident tumours (osteosarcoma and multiple myeloma). She has expertise in 3D tissue models of complex organs, such as skin and bone. Her research aims to use these advanced models to study fundamental interactions between cancer cells and the human bone microenvironment, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for patients affected by metastatic cancer. Dr McGovern has received support from the International Myeloma Foundation, Cancer Australia and Advance Queensland.Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer (CGRA)
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Research field
Biochemistry and cell biology, Biomedical engineering
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
- Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR)
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS)
- Australasian Society for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (ASBTE)
- Women in Technology (WIT)
- Metastasis Research Society (MRS)
Publications
- Dekker, M., Hipwood, L., Ravichandran, A., Hutmacher, D., Meinert, C. & McGovern, J. (2026). Bone-Derived dECM Hydrogels Support Tunable Microenvironments for In Vitro Osteogenic Differentiation. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 15(1). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/260717
- Hipwood, L., Vargas Reyes, D., Thompson, E., Rowell, P., Lowe, M., Nicholls, W., Bhatia, S., Hutmacher, D., Meinert, C. & McGovern, J. (2026). Matrix type influences embedded patient-derived osteosarcoma organoid invasion and response to treatment. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 17. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/266260
- Bhatia, S., Claxton, B., Thompson, E., Lowe, M., Wagels, M., Nicholls, W., Rowell, P., Hutmacher, D. & McGovern, J. (2026). Patient-derived osteosarcoma tumoroid model reveals functional phenotypic diversity with implications for drug responses. Biofabrication, 18(1). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/262969
- Hipwood, L., Dekker, M., Hutmacher, D., Meinert, C. & McGovern, J. (2026). Photocrosslinkable lung dECM hydrogels promote stiffness-dependent lung cancer growth and chemoresistance. Materials Today Bio, 37. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/263091
- Bock, N., Delbianco, M., Eder, M., Weinkamer, R., Amini, S., Bidan, C., Cipitria, A., Collin, S., Haupt, L., McGovern, J., Medeiros Savi, F., Toh, Y., Hutmacher, D. & Fratzl, P. (2025). A materials science approach to extracellular matrices. Progress in Materials Science, 149. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/253794
- Bhatia, S., Hipwood, L., Claxton, B., Bessot, A., Weekes, A., Sokolowski, K., Mashimo, T., Bock, N. & McGovern, J. (2025). Divergent effects of premineralization and prevascularization on osteogenesis and vascular integration in humanized tissue engineered bone constructs. Acta Biomaterialia, 201, 665–683. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/258553
- Gospos, J., Laubach, M., Savi, F., Ravichandran, A., Bauer, J., Friedrich, O., Holzapfel, B., Wagner, F., Mashimo, T., Saifzadeh, S., Hutmacher, D. & McGovern, J. (2025). Dynamic assessment of a humanized bone tumour microenvironment reveals insights into osteosarcoma primary tumour remodelling and lung metastases. Scientific Reports, 15(1). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/262287
- Bessot, A., Rohl, J., Emmerich, M., Klotz, A., Ravichandran, A., Meinert, C., Waugh, D., McGovern, J., Gunter, J. & Bock, N. (2025). ECM-mimicking hydrogel models of human adipose tissue identify deregulated lipid metabolism in the prostate cancer-adipocyte crosstalk under antiandrogen therapy. Materials Today Bio, 30. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/254956
- Bessot, A., Medeiros Savi, F., Gunter, J., Mendhi, J., Amini, S., Waugh, D., McGovern, J., Hutmacher, D. & Bock, N. (2025). Humanized In Vivo Bone Tissue Engineering: In Vitro Preculture Conditions Control the Structural, Cellular, and Matrix Composition of Humanized Bone Organs. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 14(2). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/253411
- Frankenbach-Desor, T., Niesner, I., Ahmed, P., Dürr, H., Klein, A., Knosel, T., Gospos, J., McGovern, J., Hutmacher, D., Holzapfel, B. & Mayer-Wagner, S. (2025). Tissue-engineered patient-derived osteosarcoma models dissecting tumour-bone interactions. Cancer and Metastasis Reviews, 44(1). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/254311
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Jacqui, 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/jacqui.mcgovern
Selected research projects
- Title
- Replacing Matrigel: Photocrosslinkable Lung ECM Hydrogels for Organoid Culture
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IG250200733
- Start year
- 2026
- Keywords
- Title
- Developing Alternative Treatment Options for Osteosarcoma
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 2036703
- Start year
- 2025
- Keywords
- osteosarcoma; biomaterials; egenerative medicine; extracellular matrix; chemotherapy treatment effects
- Title
- ARC Training Centre for Cell and Tissue Engineering Technologies
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- Humanized Rat Models - The Next Frontier in Preclinical Osteosarcoma Research
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- CA-APP1181919
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Osteosarcoma; Tissue Engineering; Bone Defects; Regenerative Medicine; Surgical Procedures
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Tissue-Engineering Humanised Bone Sarcoma Models in Rodents - A Preclinical Study Platform For Orthopaedic Research (2021)
- A Humanized Model to Investigate Targeted Therapeutic Strategies Against Cancer Bone Metastasis (2020)
- Convergence of Bioengineering, Orthopaedics and Tumour Biology to Develop and Validate Humanized Rodent Models for Primary Bone Tumour Research (2018)
- In Vitro Characterisation of Melanoma Progression in a Melanoma Skin Equivalent Model (2018)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
Supervision topics
- Engineering 3D osteocyte–tumour microenvironments to study bone metastasis and therapeutic response
- Regenerating bone following osteosarcoma tumour resection in a post-chemotherapy treated bone defect
- Local drug delivery to prevent osteosarcoma recurrence and metastasis
- Developing a precision oncology workflow for Osteosarcoma treatment
- Engineering bioartificial extracellular tumour microenvironments for Osteosarcoma personalised precision oncology
- Engineering the prostate tumour microenvironment in organ-on-a-chip systems
- Targeting a novel adaptive neovascular response of the tumour microenvironment to treat advanced prostate cancer
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.