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Associate Professor
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
- Associate Professor (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), Article 2501350. 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, Article 1831729. 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), Article 015036. 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, Article 102838. 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, Article 101391. 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), Article 45619. 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, Article 101424. 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), Article 2401939. 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), Article 8. 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
- Engineering in vitro tissue microenvironments
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- 3d Models, Hydrogels, Tissue Engineering, Tumour Angiogenesis, Tumour Microenvironment
- Title
- Analysing the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the Australian Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Industry
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- Novel Hydrogel Materials for the Culture of Patient-Derived Cells and Tissues
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- High-throughput 3D bioprinting of the tumour microenvironment
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- 3d Models, Hydrogels, Tissue Engineering, Tumour Angiogenesis, Tumour Microenvironment
- Title
- Development of a Deep Learning-Based Quantitative Multiplexing Staining Technology for Tissue Cytometry
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2023
- Keywords
- Title
- In vivo Antimicrobial Efficacy of Novel Bacteriacidal Surfaces for Use in Intramedullary Implant (iMbact)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- 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
- Business Model Innovations
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2022
- Keywords
- Title
- Tracking Devices for Cell Quality Control
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- Supply Chain Optimisation
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- In vivo assessment of BoneFlo system in an ovine model of tibial critical-sized defect
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- bone contruct; bone reconstruction; tissue engineering
- Title
- Biosensors for cell quality control
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- Scaffold-Guided Breast Tissue Engineering
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- porcine model; tissue engineering; breast reconstruction
- Title
- Implantable Devices for Vaccine Delivery
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC190100026
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- vaccine delivery; polymer science
- 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
Current supervisions
- Characterising the importance of CXCR2 signaling upon the immune infiltrate and early pathogenesis of Pten-deficient prostate cancer
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor David Waugh, Professor Damien Harkin - Development of a High-Throughput Patient-Derived Organoid Platform for Precision Cancer Drug Testing and Machine Learning-Based Predictive Modelling
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Rik Thompson - Engineering metastatic osteosarcoma tumour microenvironments for personalised medicine
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Christoph Meinert, Distinguished Professor Dietmar W Hutmacher, Dr Sugandha Bhatia - Local drug delivery to prevent osteosarcoma recurrence and metastasis using immunocompromised rat models
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Distinguished Professor Dietmar W Hutmacher, Dr Sugandha Bhatia - The neural basis of conscious perception You'll see it when you believe it
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor David Waugh, Associate Professor Nathalie Bock - Tissue-specific extracellular matrices for patient-derived osteosarcoma organoid culture and personalised medicine
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Christoph Meinert, Dr Akhilandeshwari Ravichandran
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Analysis, Quantification and Clinical Translation of Scaffold-Based Tissue Engineering Techniques for Soft Tissue Reconstruction (2025)
- The Role of Bone Marrow Fat in Advanced Prostate Cancer Using Bioengineered Humanised Models (2025)
- Preclinical assessment of a novel aspirator device for intramedullary bone graft harvesting (2024)
- 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)
- Tissue Engineering of an Orthotopic Humanised Bone-Organ as a Platform for Preclinical Multiple Myeloma Research (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
- Automated computational analysis and mathematical modelling of in vivo scaffold degradation kinetics using longitudinal micro-CT
- 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.