Our Research Project Grants aim to provide 1-2 years of support to help local, world-class cancer researchers further their research. Grants are initially short-listed through the national expert review process of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and are then further assessed by the Cancer Council WA Research Grants Advisory Committee.
Grant applications are assessed on the basis of quality, practicality, value for money and contribution to the advancement of cancer knowledge.
2018 successful cancer researchers and projects
In the 2017/2018 financial year we've allocated $3.7 million to 68 researchers and 33 projects.
Please click on the shutters below to reveal full details.
Project title: Improving treatment options for pancreatic cancer
Recipient: Prof Ruth Ganss
Funding Period: 2018
Project title: Establishing the potential of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 as a novel treatment for mesothelioma and pleural effusion
Recipient: Dr Sally Lansley
Funding Period: 2018
Project title: Aiming for the Achilles’ heel - discovering an effective drug against mesothelioma
Recipient: Dr Willem Lesterhuis
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Defining and defeating indigenous disadvantage in breast cancer survival
Recipient: Dr Andrew Redfern
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Asbestos exposure, autoimmunity and asbestos-related diseases: filling in the knowledge gaps
Recipient: A/Prof Alison Reid
Funding period: 2018
Project title: The effects of a peer-led walking program on physical activity, health, well-being, and work outcomes in physically inactive employees
Recipient: A/Prof Cecilie Thogersen-Ntoumani
Funding period: 2018
Poject title: Improved diagnostic testing for better breast cancer outcomes
Recipient: Dr Katie Meehan
Funding period: 2018
The purpose of the Collaborative Cancer Grant Scheme is to support early-to mid-career cancer researchers in WA and in particular to encourage collaboration among early-to mid-career cancer researchers. The scheme aims to improve research quality and increase the competitiveness of WA early to midcareer cancer researchers by helping researchers obtain preliminary data and build collaborative networks.
This scheme is supported by Cancer Council WA, Government of Western Australia, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, The University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute.
Project title: The neighbourhood of leukaemia cells in the bone marrow
Recipient: Dr Laurence Cheung, Prof Ben Mullins, Dr Rishi Kotecha, Dr Jennifer Tickner and Dr Dave Tang
Funding period: 2018
Project title: The effect of cognitive and exercise training on brain health and cognition in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy
Recipient: Dr Travis Cruikshank, Dr Hilary Martin, Dr Kirk Feindel, Dr Armit Lampit and Dr Philip Zimmer
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Designing better cellular and targeted therapies for lymphoma and leukaemia
Recipient: Dr Bree Foley, Dr Rishi Kotecha, Dr Chan Cheah and Dr Laurence Cheung
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Overcoming low Indigenous breast cancer survival
Recipient: Dr Katie Meehan, Dr Shaouli Shahid, Dr Hilary Martin and Dr Ben Dessauvagie
Funding period: 2018
Early Career Investigator Grants are designed to help talented early career cancer researchers to develop the skills and necessary track record to advance their career. These one-year awards give many researchers their first step in their career as an independent cancer researcher.
Project title: Catching immune cells in the act of fighting bowel cancer
Recipient: Dr Chidozie Anyaegbu
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Ultra-sensitive monitoring of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia using blood and urine
Recipient: Dr Hun Chuah
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Supervised exercise program versus a home exercise program for cancer patients, prior to undergoing prostate surgery
Recipient: Dr Favil Singh
Funding period: 2018
The Cancer Council WA Research Excellence Awards have been established to recognise and celebrate the achievements of Western Australia's best and brightest cancer researchers. They also serve to reinforce the importance of cancer research as an aspirational career choice and provide encouragement for the next generation of leading cancer researchers.
Cancer Council Western Australia Early Career Cancer Researcher of the Year
2018 Recipient: Dr Chan Cheah
This award goes to an early career cancer researcher who has made significant advance in cancer research over the proceeding 18 months.
Cancer Council Western Australia Cancer Researcher of the Year
2018 Recipient: Prof Anna Nowak
This award goes to a cancer researcher who has made an outstanding contribution to cancer research over the previous 12-24 months.
Cancer Council Western Australia Cancer Research Career Achievement Award
2018 Recipient: Prof Robert Newton
This awards acknowledges a researcher who has made a considerable contribution to cancer research.
Our Research Fellowships fund outstanding biomedical and health researchers working in the field of cancer so they can undertake research of major importance. They provide salary support for up to five years with the aim of advancing the quality and impact of cancer research in WA and promoting collaboration and partnerships, locally, nationally and internationally.
Fellowship title: Improving the cure rates for the childhood brain cancer, medulloblastoma
Recipient: Clin/A/Prof Nicholas Gottardo
Funding period: $100,000 for 2018 ($400,000 total, 2016-2019)
Fellowship title: Improving psychosocial support and education for patients diagnosed with brain or head and neck cancer and their carers
Recipient: A/Prof Georgia Halkett
Period funding: $115,000 for 2018 ($460,000 for 2017-2020)
Fellowship title: Improving detection and therapy in treatment-resistant cancers
Recipient: Dr Juliana Hamzah
Funding period: $120,000 for 2018 ($480,000 for 2018-2021)
Fellowship title: Identifyng new effective treatments for mesothelioma
Recipient: Dr Willem Lesterhuis
Funding period: $20,000 for 2018 ($80,000 in total for 2017-2020)
Fellowship title: Small non-coding RNAs in malignant mesothelioma
Recipient: A/Prof Steven Mutsaers
Funding period: $40,000 ($320,000 total for 2013-2014 and 2017-2018)
Fellowship title: Correcting gene expression in pancreatic cancer
Recipient: A/Prof Oliver Rackham
Funding period: $100,000 for 2018 ($400,000 in total for 2015-2018)
Rosemary Grant Zaks Melanoma Research Fellowship: Empowering the immune system to attack melanoma and other advanced cancers
Recipient: Dr Jason Waithman
Funding period: $120,000 in 2018 ($480,000 total for 2018-2021)
Youngberg Women’s Cancer Research Fellowship: Improving breast cancer surgery with a tool that helps the surgeon remove all of the tumour in one go
Recipient: Dr Vincent Wallace
Funding period: $100,000 for 2018 ($428,000 in total for 2015-2018)
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships give support for cancer researchers in the early stages of their career, providing improved career stability and encouraging the best and brightest young researchers to continue in the discipline of cancer research. These fellowships provide funding over a period of three years.
Project title: Prognostic significance of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Recipient: Vinicius Cavalheri De Oliveira
Funding period: 2017-2019
Project title: Exercise medicine for advanced cancer patients: Can exercise slow tumour growth, delay disease progression and extend survival?
Recipient: Dr Nicolas Hart
Funding period: 2018-2020
Project title: To develop blood tests that can predict the risk of primary liver cancer
Recipient: Dr Yi Huang
Funding period: 2016-2018
Project title: Improving fluid removal methods to optimise benefits in patients with cancer-related fluid collection in the chest
Recipient: Dr Rajesh Thomas
Funding period: 2016-2018
These three year PhD Top Up Scholarships are awarded to applicants who have an outstanding academic record and the potential to pursue full-time PhD studies in cancer-related research.
Project title: Early Detection of Cancer spread and treatment of ocular melanoma
Recipient: Mr Aaron Beasley
Funding period: 2018-2020
Project title: Improving tumour detection using multimodality imaging
Recipient: Ms Meenu Chopra
Funding period: 2016-2018
Project title: Treating the most aggressive breast cancers using molecules from natural substances
Recipient: Ms Ciara Duffy
Funding period: 2017-2018
Project title: Designing new materials that deliver gene therapies to breast cancer
Recipient: Ms Jessica Kretzmann
Funding period: 2017-2018
Project title: Expression and function of stem cell genes in aggressive human brain tumours
Recipient: Ms Tracy Seymour
Funding period: 2015-2018
We offer these one year scholarships to support the work of promising young honours students to encourage them to consider a career in cancer research.
Project title: Analysis of imaging flow cytometry for diagnosis and monitoring of paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)
Recipient: Mr Venkat Doddi
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Cracking the (immune) code to successful cancer immunotherapy
Recipient: Ms Nicola Principe
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Analysis of a new ultra-sensitive world-first blood test developed in WA to assist treatment decisions in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
Recipient: Mr Jason Stanley
Funding period: 2018
Project title: What events in cancers can we use to improve the response rate when treating with immunotherapy?
Recipient: Mr Andre Wang
Funding period: 2018
Cancer Council Western Australia Student Vacation Research Scholarships offer talented university students a taste of what cancer research can offer. They offer students a small stipend to conduct a specific research project over a period of 4-10 weeks.
Project title: A new strategy to prevent melanoma metastases
Recipient: Mr Joseph Backhouse
Funding period: 2018
Project title: How does chemotherapy work? A focus on the immune system.
Recipient:Ms Rasa Islam
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Radiation oncology and health professionals' perceptions of the problems delivering radiotherapy to children and what can help
Recipient: Ms Jessica Rifici
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Investigating if bone cancer cells, that are resistant to anti-cancer drugs are also capable of spreading more rapidly
Recipient: Ms Fathima Mufaidha Mohamed Raju
Funding Period: 2018
Project title: How does cancer effect the financial situation of Australian cancer patients, and how can we measure this?
Recipient: Ms Kimberley Robinson
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Targeting chemotherapy resistance with anti-cancer drugs derived from spider venom
Recipient: Mr John Tanner
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Testing a method for genetic characterisation of the cells that spread melanoma within the body
Recipient: Mr Andre Vieira
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Novel methodology for detecting tumour derived material in blood to aid melanoma diagnosis
Recipient: Mr Daniel Walker
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Exploring the carer’s experience of looking after a person diagnosed with primary brain cancer: an exploration of carers’ experiences during nurse-led phone interviews for the intervention ‘Care-Is’
Recipient: Ms Danika McCormick
Funding period: 2018
Project title: A study to describe a new laboratory model for a lethal childhood brain cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma
Recipient: Mr Jason Stanley
Funding period: 2018
Project title: Seeing if bone cancer cells that have had the gene AFAP1L1 deleted have a reduced capacity to spread
Recipient: Ms Samantha Thilini Gunasekera
Funding Period: 2018
The Cancer Research Trust Enabling Grants were established in 2009 to promote and support collaborative cancer research in WA and make a globally-significant contribution to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer.
Project title: Enabling advanced single cell cancer genomics in Western Australia
Recipient: Prof Alistair Forrest
Funding period: 2018-2022
Project title: Continuous Improvement in Care - Cancer (The CIC Cancer Project)
Recipient: Prof Christobel Saunders
Funding period: 2018-2022
The objective of the Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour Initiative is to direct funds to advance the diagnosis and treatment of Gastrointestinal Stromal Cancer
Project title: Gastro Intestinal Stromal Tumours: towards better outcome prediction and therapy
Recipient: Prof Ruth Ganss
Funding period: $193,862 in 2018 (total $514,950 for 2018-2020)
A combination of long and short-term research projects of specific strategic importance.
Project title: The Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme
Cancer Council Western Australia Chair of Clinical Cancer Research
Recipient: Prof Michael Millward
The University of Western Australia
Cancer Council Western Australia Cancer Epidemiology Network
Recipient: Prof Lin Fritschi
Funding period: 2016-2018
Cancer Council Western Australia Cancer Prevention Research Unit
Recipient: Prof Simone Pettigrew
