Triple win for cancer researchers

Promising research into green tea’s anti-cancer properties has been recognised in the NSW Premier’s Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research - one of three prizes won by UNSW researchers.

Dr Orazio Vittorio, from the Children’s Cancer Research Institute Australia based at UNSW’s Lowy Cancer Research Centre, won the Kid’s Cancer Project Award for his work on a modified antioxidant from green tea. His work in the lab shows the extract can kill half of the cells from neuroblastoma cancers within three days.

Research from the Lowy Cancer Research Centre also won the inaugural Big Data, Big Impact grant.

The team is working on a project to look for recurrent mutations within genomic 'dark matter' in over 1000 whole cancer genome datasets. Recent studies have demonstrated that as much as 80 per cent of genomic ‘dark matter’ may have some function.

"Dark matter is the non-coding part of the genome,” says team leader, Dr Jason Wong. “We want to explore the hypothesis that mutations in the dark matter are frequent and can lead to cancer.”

This non-coding part of the genome has not been thoroughly explored by scientists previously.

UNSW Professor of Gynaecological Oncology, Neville Hacker, was recognised for his eminence in the field. His research has focused on improving the psychological impact of gynaecological cancers. He established the first multi-disciplinary Gynaecological Cancer Centre in Australia at the Royal Hospital for Women, which became a model for care and research throughout the country and region. He was awarded the Professor Rob Sutherland AO Make a Difference Award.

For more information, go to Cancer Institute NSW

Media contact: Susi Hamilton, UNSW Media Office, 0422 934 024, susi.hamilton@unsw.edu.au

Dr Orazio Vittorio won the Kid’s Cancer Project Award for his work on a modified antioxidant from green tea.