One of the country’s top scientific honours has been awarded to a Queensland researcher after a career dedicated to understanding the genetics of breast cancer risk.
Professor Georgia Chenevix-Trench from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute has been awarded the prestigious Suzanne Cory Medal and Lecture from the Australian Academy of Science.
She is among 20 researchers from around Australia to be awarded by the Australian Academy of Science for their contribution to the advancement of science.
As one of the world’s leading cancer researchers, Professor Chenevix-Trench has spent her career trying to understand what causes breast cancer and how it can be treated, or even prevented.
“It is a great privilege to receive the Suzanne Cory Medal and Lecture, she is a ground-breaking cancer geneticist and I’m honoured to be following in her footsteps,” said Professor Chenevix-Trench.
“Ultimately, we want to identify people most at risk of developing breast cancer, as well as finding new risk reduction medications and treatments.”
With her international colleagues, Professor Chenevix-Trench and her team at QIMR Berghofer have studied genetic data from thousands of breast cancer cases from around the world, identifying 200 regions in the genome that contribute to breast cancer risk.
“It’s this work that helps us to identify existing drugs that can be repurposed to offer better treatments for women with breast cancer,” Professor Chenevix-Trench said.
QIMR Berghofer Director and CEO, Professor Fabienne Mackay congratulated Professor Chenevix-Trench for her outstanding contribution to breast cancer research and for receiving the Suzanne Cory Medal and Lecture.
“We are delighted to see one of QIMR Berghofer’s leading researchers recognised by the Australian Academy of Science. Professor Chenevix-Trench is doing vital work to improve the outcomes for the one in ten women who will develop breast cancer by the time they turn 75,” said Professor Mackay.
President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor John Shine, said this year’s awardees are blazing a trail for science both locally and globally.
“The award recipients have made a significant contribution to the research enterprise and the impact of their research will continue for years to come,” he said in the Academy’s media release.
