NEW SOUTH WALES
MEDIA STATEMENT
Verity Firth
Minister for Women
Minister for Science and Medical Research
Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer)
Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change, Environment & Water (Environment)
EMBARGOED until 5.00am on Thursday, 29 November 2007
$14.5 MILLION FOR CANCER RESEARCH
STATE PLAN TARGET S2: Reduce the number of potentially avoidable deaths for people under 75 to
150 per 100,000 people by 2016.
Local cancer researchers are set to share in grants collectively worth $14.5 million.
Assistant Health Minister (Cancer) Verity Firth said the search for the gene that
increases a person’s chance of developing bowel cancer; trials of new anti-cancer
drugs; and development of better treatments for childhood cancers, are just a few of
the research projects receiving much needed funding from the NSW Government.
“All up, twenty-six cancer researchers have been awarded grants of up to $600,000
– money that will allow them to continue their promising research into a disease
which remains the single biggest cause of premature death in NSW,” said Ms Firth.
“A vital element of the NSW Government’s long term efforts to end the suffering
caused by cancer, particularly the types most common to NSW such as melanoma
and bowel cancer, is a greater investment in medical research.
“The $14.5 million in research grants I’m announcement today will help keep NSW at
the forefront of international efforts to better understand, prevent and treat cancers.
“As well as giving hope to sufferers and ultimately saving lives, these financial grants
are part of a broader strategy to make NSW a magnet for scientific endeavour and
home to world leading medical researchers.”
Over the past decade, better biological drugs, new surgical techniques, more
effective early detection, falling smoking rates and record health budgets have
improved survival rates and reduced cancer deaths.
“In fact according to landmark report released early this year, there are very few
places in the world where a person’s chances of beating cancer are as high as they
are in NSW,” said Ms Firth.
Since 1995, cancer death rates have fallen by 13 per cent – meaning about 8,000
people are alive today that otherwise would not have been.
“But despite the very real progress we have made, cancer will affect the health of
one in two men and one in three women,” said Ms Firth.
“Each year more than 12,000 NSW families lose a loved one to cancer.
“When it comes to the fight against cancer governments can and must do more.”
Since establishing the Cancer Institute in 2004, the NSW Government has invested
almost $34 million supporting the work of local researchers.
The NSW Government has committed a further $97 million over the next four years
to support cancer research and by 2010 aims to have 10 per cent of all new cancer
cases participating in clinical trials.
Some recent breakthrough that had received financial support from the NSW
Government:

A new dye which can quickly determine if cancer treatments are actually destroying
cancer cells is undergoing trials after promising early results. This breakthrough was
made by NSW researcher Professor Phil Hogg and supported with $3.7 million from
the NSW Government. The benefits should be shorter and more effective
cancer treatments for patients.

A tiny chemical ‘tag’ on a critical gene passed from parent to child was discovered by
Sydney medical oncologist Professor Robyn Ward. Her discovery will have major
implications for families where the cause of cancer cannot be explained by
current genetic tests. The NSW Government has contributed more than $4 million
toward cancer research activities undertaken by Professor Ward.

A new genetic marker for identifying aggressive prostate cancers has been
discovered by researcher Professor Susan Clark and her team at Sydney’s Garvan
Institute of Medical Research. Professor Clark’s research was made possible with
$3.7 million of NSW Government funding for cancer research. The discovery
should lead to more effective treatment for patients with aggressive prostate
cancer.
Media Contact:
Jeff Singleton
0410 476 890
Cancer Institute NSW – Research Scholar Awards 2007
Recipient
Institution
Research Project
Dr Emily Blyth
(Durrant)
University of Sydney,
Westmead Hospital and
Children’s Hospital
Clinical therapy: improving bone marrow
transplants.
Dr Sebastian
Haferkamp
University of Sydney
Laboratory: researching melanoma genes.
Miss Penny Ho
Kolling Institute of
Medical Research
Laboratory: researching how breast cancer
genes affect prognosis.
Ms Elja Lehtomaki
University of Sydney
Mr Gang Lu
University of Sydney
Dr Ann McCormack
University of Sydney
and Kolling Institute of
Medical Research
Laboratory: researching chemicals which
can control genes in endocrine cancers.
Ms Heather McKenzie
University of Sydney
Laboratory: researching melanoma genes.
Miss Inga Mertens
University of Sydney
Laboratory: researching ways to control
ovarian cancer.
Dr Goswin MeyerRochow
Kolling Institute of
Medical Research
Laboratory: researching genes in adrenal
cancer.
Mrs Dessislava
Mladenova
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Clinical therapy: prevention of bowel cancer.
Miss Cindy Pon
Kolling Institute of
Medical Research
Laboratory: researching breast cancer
growth.
Ms Federica Saletta
University of Sydney
Clinical therapy: anti-cancer drugs.
Miss Jessica Selwyn
Mr Aaron Statham
Centenary Institute,
Royal Prince Alfred and
University of Sydney
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Laboratory: understanding how cancer
starts.
Laboratory: researching the chemical
pathways inside cancer cells in order to
discover new ways to treat cancer.
Laboratory: understanding how cancer
starts.
Laboratory: research into chemicals that
control cancer genes.
Miss Santi Suryani
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Lab/Clinical: bone marrow transplants.
Ms Elizabeth Tindall
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Lab/Clinical: advancing research into
prostate cancer.
Dr Jason Tseung
Concord Repatriation
General Hospital
Lab/Clinical: research into the control of
bowel cancer.
Miss Yu Yu
University of Sydney
Therapy: new anti-cancer drugs.
Cancer Institute NSW – Career Development and Support Fellowships 2007
Recipient
Institution
Research Project
Dr Linda Bendall
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Research into treatment of leukaemia.
Dr Andrew Biankin
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Research into predicting the prognosis of
pancreatic cancer.
Dr Tracy Bryan
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Understanding the causes of cancer.
Dr Scott Byrne
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Understanding cancer growth.
Dr Vanessa Hayes
Westmead Institute for
Cancer Research
Understanding the role of genes in prostate
cancer.
Dr Susan Henshall
Kolling Institute of
Medical Research
Identifying protein markers of prostate
cancer.
Dr Megan Hitchins
University of Newcastle
Understanding cancer in families.
Dr Maja Kohonen-Coris
Children’s Cancer
Institute Australia
Identifying cell chemicals that cause the
growth of bowel cancer.
Dr Tao Liu
Children’s Medical
Research Institute
Treatment of childhood cancers.
A/Prof Karen
MacKenzie
University of Sydney
Understanding the growth of cancer.
Dr Megan Maher
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Understanding cancer therapy.
Dr Deborah Marsh
University of Sydney
Research into genes in cancers of the
endocrine system.
Dr Elizabeth Musgrove
Dr Helen Rizos
National Centre in HIV
Epidemiology and
Clinical Research
Children’s Cancer
Institute Australia
Research into hormone-dependent breast
cancer growth.
Research into melanoma growth.
Dr Rick Thorne
Westmead Millennium
Institute
Research into melanoma growth.
Dr Claire Vajdic
University of Newcastle
Identifying cancer risks in the population.
Dr Zhang Xu Dong
Garvan Institute of
Medical Research
Research into melanoma therapy.
Recipient
Prof Ariel Ruiz
Cancer Institute NSW – Research Leaders 2007
Institution
Research Project
Centenary Institute of
Cancer Medicine and
Cell Biology
Understanding early initiation of cancer.