Progress in the fight against cancer is being made and lives have been saved as a result of research. With the support of the community and people like you, Cure Cancer Australia has been able to give a start to many recognised researchers of today.
With the assistance of our Medical Advisory Committee, our ability to select impressive, young, talented researchers to fund is demonstrated by the fact that of the 2010 NSW Cancer Institute Awards, 11 of the 13 successful award recipients had made their start with Cure Cancer Australia funding. Thanks to research, 90% of parents who hear the words “your child has leukaemia” will now see their child survive their prognosis. Twenty years ago, this would not have been a reality.
By supporting young researchers and their innovative approaches when they need it the most, life saving breakthroughs and real progress has been achieved. With every hour of research funded, we are one step closer to finding a cure. Your support is vital to this.
An exciting recent breakthrough in colorectal cancer was announced by two former Cure Cancer Australia Grant Recipients, Professor Robyn Ward funded in 1994 & 1997, and Dr. Megan Hitchins funded in 2005 & 2006. Other incredible progress is being made every day by the researchers featured below who received an early career funding grant from Cure Cancer Australia. Read more here.
Dr Catherine Suter
Dr Catherine Suter, currently Head of Epigenetics at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute received her first Cure Cancer grant in 2005.
Dr Suter now leads a team working in epigenetic gene regulation. In Catherine’s words, “You need a grant to get a grant.”
The early funding Catherine received from Cure Cancer allowed her to really springboard and go on to achieve wonderful outcomes for cancer patients worldwide. In collaboration with several clinical teams across Australia, Dr Suter and her team are now investigating if there are there some individuals who carry an epimutation in a small proportion of their cells, and how this relates to cancer predisposition.
Read more on Dr Suter's achievements
Professor Robyn Ward
Professor Robyn Ward has achieved an extraordinary amount as a pre-eminent Australian cancer researcher and oncologist over just two decades. A Cure Cancer Australia Grant Recipient in 1994 & 1997, Robyn is head of the adult cancer program at the Lowy Cancer Research Centre at UNSW and co-leader of a study which discovered a genetic mutation responsible for making people susceptible to colorectal, bowel and other cancers.
Yet the achievement that pleases her most is the simplest: to be able to look after patients, every day, while staying engaged in research. Robyn refers to this as “bridging the gap” between what happens in science laboratories with what happens in a real hospital – and it’s a role she believes more medical professionals should play.
Read more on Professor Ward's achievements
Dr Megan Hitchins
Dr Megan Hitchins, is the Head of the Medical Epigenetics Laboratory which she founded in the Lowy Cancer Research Centre at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
Megan received a Cure Cancer Australia Grant in 2005 & 2006 and has since co-lead a study responsible for uncovering new genetic cancer risks, revealing how cancer is passed on in some families and providing hope for sufferers.
Megan’s research focus, for which she has gained wide recognition, is the role of epigenetic errors in hereditary cancer, as well as the interaction between genetic and epigenetic changes in the development of the disease.
Read more on Dr Hitchin's achievements
Professor Carolyn Mountford
Professor Carolyn Mountford, now Director of the Centre for Clinical Spectroscopy and Visiting Professor of Radiology at the Harvard Medical School was known as “the crazy lady” during the 80’s when working with with histopathologist Professor Peter Russell on a new way of detecting cancer early. Carolyn, then a young Oxford-trained biophysicist at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, was undeterred by doubters. She was convinced she would detect changes in the chemistry of human cells as they became cancerous by studying them inside a strong magnetic field.
And she was proved right. The technique she was largely responsible for developing in Australia, known as magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), can identify cancer in the early stages. Receiving Cure Cancer Australia Grants – in 1988, 1992, 1993 and 1995 – set Carolyn and her colleagues up well to win subsequent funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the New South Wales Cancer Council and then, later, the US Army and Department of Defence.
Read more on Professor Mountford's achievements
Professor Roger Reddel
Professor Roger Reddel, has been Director of the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) for the past two decades and has lead his team towards significant breakthroughs in cancer molecular genetics. His research has been recognised at the recent Premier’s Awards where he was named Outstanding Researcher of the Year.
Roger’s work is laying the basis for development of drugs targeting the mechanisms upon which 98% of all human cancers depend for their continued growth.
Read more on Professor Reddel's achievements