Outputs

Conventional publications

Publications are listed here. We are fervent advocates of open science and open data, with some manuscripts hosted in bioRxiv, and all R codes and scripts on our mixOmics page and www.github/mixOmicsTeam .

Book

Lê Cao K-A. and Welham Z (2021). Multivariate Data Integration Using R: Methods and Applications with the mixOmics package. CRC Chapman & Hall. 306 pages, 14 chapters.

Other publications (refereed by editorial board)

  • Huang BE, Clifford D and Lê Cao K-A (2014). The surprising benefit of passive-aggressive behaviour at Christmas parties: being crowned king of the crackers. Medical Journal of Australia 201(11):694-6 (Christmas issue, awarded first prize, radio interview from ABC Darwin, mentioned in the podcast from Two Shrink Pod (episode 21, Dec 2017).
  • Clifford D, Lê Cao K-A and Huang BE (2014). The statistician’s guide to a cracking good Christmas party. Significance 11(5):44-7 (Christmas issue, doi: 10.1111/j.1740- 9713.2014.00784.x).
  • Lê Cao K-A (2019). Heroines of mathematics. The Pursuit, an engagement journal published at UoM (8.4K views, August 2019, co-written, leading to an interview at ABC radio with Myf Warhust)
  • Lê Cao K-A (2020). Get to know your microbiome better. The Pursuit (2.5K views, Jan 2020).
  • Lê Cao, K-A., Abadi, A.J., Davis-Marcisak, E.F. et al.(2021) Community-wide hackathons to identify central themes in single-cell multi-omics. Genome Biol 22, 

Awards and fellowships

2020 – 2022 Superstars of STEM (Science Technology Australia) to gain advanced communication skills and increase the public visibility of women in STEM.

2019            Homeward Bound year-long leadership program for women with a background in STEMM, culminating to a voyage in Antarctica.

2019            The University of Melbourne Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research (mid-career)

2019            Georgina Sweet Award created by Prof L Tilley (ARC Laureate) to promote female scientists with excellence in Quantitative Biomedical Science (up to 3 awards / year)

2019 – 2022 Career Development Fellowship (CDF2) from the National Health and Medical Council Research (NHMRC) ‘Microbiome biomarkers of human disease: novel computational methods to facilitate therapeutic developments’, $483K.

2019              Moran medal from the Australian Academy of Science for contribution in the past 10 years in Statistical sciences in Australia (early-career, biennial)

2015 – 2019 Career Development Fellowship (CDF1) from the National Health and Medical Council Research (NHMRC) ‘Development of statistical methodologies and application to clinical cancer studies’, $419K.

2009             Laurent-Duhamel triennial prize from the French Statistical Society for PhD thesis in Applied Statistics, Bordeaux, France.

Current funding (UoM)

2021 – 2026     MRFF Preventive and Public Health Research Initiative. Infant2Child: Targeting common risk factors to optimise nutrition and reduce childhood dental caries in the first 2000 days. Dr M Silva, A/Prof Rachel Laws,  Dr Margarita Moreno-Betancur, Prof Stuart Dashper, Dr Miaobing Zheng, A/Prof Martin Hall, Prof David Burgner, Dr Ankur Singh, Associate Professor Nicky Kilpatrick, A/Prof K-A Lê Cao, Dr L Petrick. Total AUD$1,267,826.21 (150k in 2024-2026)

2021 – 2023     Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australia, ENDIA Early-Mid Career Science Accelerator Awards Influence of early life and maternal host-microbiota interactions on type 1 diabetes risk. A/Prof E Hamilton Williams, Prof M Knip, A/Prof M Hill, A/Prof K-A Lê Cao , Prof Harrison. AUD$ 442,502

2021 – 2026     National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research/National Institutes of Health R01DE029838-01 Reconstructing early life environmental exposures using tooth biomarkers and their influence on the trajectory of the oral microbiome and oral health in childhood. Dr C Austin, Dr C Adler,  Prof M Arora, Dr M Bockman, Dr  P Curtin, A/Prof Hughes, A/Prof K-A Lê Cao, Dr L Petrick. Role: PI. Total USD$ 3,655,958. (~ USD$166.426 from Y3-5).  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, University of Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

2020 – 2023 ARC Discovery Project DP200102903. Empirical and computational solutions for multi-omics single-cell assays. A/Prof K-A Lê Cao, Dr Heather Lee (UoN), A/Prof Matt Ritchie (WEHI) and A/Prof. Stephanie Bougeard (ANSES). Role: CIA. $650K

 

Patents

The application of our methods and software has directly resulted in four biomedical patents.

  1. Gandhi M, Keane C, Lê Cao K-A, Vari F (2015). A method of assessing prognosis of lymphoma. WO/2016/134416. Priority 23/02/2016
  2. Thomas R, Mehdi A, Lê Cao K-A (2014). Kits and methods for the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and monitoring of diabetes. PCT/AU2014/050415. Priority 18/06/2015
  3. Hill M, Shah A, Lê Cao K-A (2014). Blood Test for Throat Cancer. WO/2016/077881. Priority 17/11/2015
  4. Musso O, Desert R, Rohart F, Lê Cao K-A. Method for predicting the survival time of a patient suffering from hepatocellular Carcinoma. EP17305436.2. Priority 12/04/2017

Past funding (UoM and University of Queensland)

2018 – 2021 NHMRC Project Grant, GNT1142456. Enhancing host defence mechanisms in severe bacterial infections. Dr A Blumenthal, Prof B Venkatesh, Prof D Evans, Dr K-A Lê Cao,  Prof G Ulett, A/Prof J Cohen. Role: CID. $837K

2018 – 2021 NHMRC Project Grant. GNT1144941. Understanding how azithromycin prevents exacerbations in severe asthma. Prof J Upham, Prof J Simpson, Dr K Baines, Dr K- A Lê Cao. Role: CID. $698K

2018 – 2019  Silicon Valley Community Foundation, HCA2-A-1708-02277, Multivariate computational methods for data integration of single cell assays. Role: CIA. $132K

2018 – 2019 ARC Special Research Initiative in Stem cells Centre of Excellence, Stem Cells Australia led by Prof M Little (UoM). Role: co-CI. $3M, 1 research fellow in Lê Cao group.

2018             UoM Computational Biology Research Initiative seed funding. Towards the understanding of gut-brain crosstalk in Huntington’s disease. Role: CIA. $20K.

2016             Translational Research Institute SPORE grant, Obesity-induced Barrett’s oesophagus and associated cancer: mechanisms and diagnostic tools. A/Prof M. Hill, Dr A. Barbour, Dr K-A. Lê Cao (CIC). $100K

2016             Translational Research Institute SPORE grant, Towards biomarkers for patient stratification in sepsis, Dr A. Blumenthal, Prof B. Venkatesh, A/Prof J Cohen, Dr K-A. Lê Cao, Dr D. Vagenas, Prof I. Frazer (CID). $80K

2014 – 2015  The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), 2-SRA-2015-306-Q-R, A genetic link between gut microbial flora and T1D susceptibility. Dr D. Zipris (University of Colorado) and co-CI from UQDI: Dr E. Hamilton-Williams, Dr J. Mullaney, A/Prof M. Hill, Dr K-A. Lê Cao (PI). $500K

2014             The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), 1-PNF-2014-153-A-V, Risk of diabetes progression in at-risk subjects with metabolic and inflammatory signatures. Prof R. Thomas (UQDI), K-A. Lê Cao et al. (PI). $110K

2014             UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure, 2014000102, High throughput gene expression of patient samples via the Nanostring nCounter system. 
Prof M. Gandhi and 9 co-CI from UQDI, K-A. Lê Cao (CIJ). $169K

2014 – 2016  NHMRC Project Grants Funding, APP1058993, Blood biomarkers in Hodgkin Lymphoma. Prof M. Gandhi, Prof M. Fulham, A/Prof J. Trotman, Dr K-A. Lê Cao, Dr L. Berkahn. (CID). $513K

2013 – 2015  ARC Discovery Project, DP130100777. The Stemformatics gene expression compendium: development of multivariate statistical approaches for cross platform analyses. A/Prof C. Wells, Dr K-A. Lê Cao (CIB). $269K, shared postdoctoral fellow.