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We’re excited to announce our 2025 grant recipients.

The Brain Cancer Centre is committed to funding highly impactful, innovative collaborative research programs and clinical trials.

We’re strategically focussed on supporting research investments to bring us closer to our vision: that one day no lives are lost to brain cancer.

Image of Professor Guillaume Lessene

Professor Guillaume Lessene

Theme Leader, New Medicines & Advanced Technologies
WEHI


Professor Guillaume Lessene trained as an organic chemist, completing his PhD at the University of Bordeaux, before undertaking postdoctoral work with Professor Feldman at Pennsylvania State University.

Since moving to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in 2001, his major research focus has been the development of small molecules that target apoptotic and necroptotic cell death pathways.

Since January 2019, Professor Lessene heads the New Medicines and Advanced Technologies Theme at the Institute. This multidisciplinary research theme comprises of basic research driven by structural and chemical biology, translation of basic discoveries into new medicines together with clinical research, and cutting-edge technologies.

Professor Lessene’s work targeting the BCL-2 family of proteins for cancer therapy formed the basis of a major collaboration between the Institute and two pharmaceutical companies, Genentech and AbbVie, leading to the development of venetoclax, the first BH3-mimetic approved by the US Federal Drug Agency (FDA) for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

Related research projects: 

Professor Guillaume Lessene
WEHI

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Professor Ben Hogan

Associate Director of Laboratory Research
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre


Ben Hogan is a Professor at the University of Melbourne and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Australia) where he is Co-Head of the Program in Organogenesis and Cancer and runs the laboratory of Vascular Cell and Developmental Biology. Since 2023 he is also the Associate Director of Laboratory Research, overseeing ~40 research groups in diverse areas of cancer biology and research. Ben performed his PhD in myelopoiesis at the Ludwig Institute (2005, Australia) before a postdoc at the Hubrecht Institute (2006-2009, The Netherlands) where he performed the first forward genetic screens in lymphangiogenesis using zebrafish. He became a group leader in 2010 at the University of Queensland before moving to Melbourne and being promoted to Professor in 2019. Ben has been previously supported by fellowships from EMBO, the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia). His work has uncovered new components and effectors of the VEGFC-VEGFR3 signalling pathway that controls lymphangiogenesis in development, cancer and lymphatic disease in humans. His lab currently uses live imaging of vascular development, zebrafish and mouse genetics, functional and single cell genomic approaches and is exploring lymphatic vascular development and the formation of the blood brain barrier. In 2024, he was awarded the Judah Folkman award from the North American Vascular Biology Organisation, the leading international award for achievements for mid-career vascular biologists.

Related research projects: 

Professor Ben Hogan
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Image of Associate Professor Joseph Nicolazzo

Professor Joseph Nicolazzo

Associate Dean (Graduate Research) Faculty of Pharmacy Monash University


Joseph is a pharmacist and pharmaceutical scientist who graduated with a PhD from Monash University focussing on buccal mucosal drug delivery in 2004. I am a Professor and Associate Dean (Graduate Research) at Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University. I have a passion for understanding how and why the blood-brain barrier (BBB) acts as such a fascinating interface between the CNS and periphery. My laboratory focusses on how we can overcome the BBB to improve CNS drug delivery, how the BBB alters in disease, and how we can restore the BBB to improve brain homeostasis in CNS disease.

Related research projects: 

Professor Joseph Nicolazzo
Monash University

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Dr Gabby Watson

Senior Research Officer, WEHI


Dr. Gabby Watson is a structural biologist and protein biochemist at WEHI. Gabby has over 10 years of experience with building understanding of disease related proteins and developing novel therapeutic molecules for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.

Gabby’s expertise stems from a PhD from Monash University, centred on rationally designing peptide inhibitors against a breast cancer target, followed by post-doctoral research investigating immune evasion by viruses. At WEHI, Gabby returned to her roots of developing new cancer treatments, and as part of the BCC Gabby works collaboratively to develop new nanobody-based technologies to improve transport of promising anti-cancer therapies across the blood-brain barrier.

Related research projects: 

Dr Gabby Watson
WEHI

Image of Dr Anne Lagendijk

Dr Anne Lagendijk

Laboratory Head
University of Queensland


Dr Lagendijk finished her MSc degree in Biomedical Sciences at Radboud University Nijmegen. During her studies, Anne has worked on ovarian specification during an internship with Peter Koopman (Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane) and identified microRNAs that control pancreas development with Ronald Plasterk (Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands). Through this work, Anne had developed a lasting fascination with Developmental Biology and thus for her PhD training Anne decided to stay at the Hubrecht and joined the lab of Prof Jeroen Bakkers. She identified novel regulators that control extracellular matrix homeostasis in the developing zebrafish heart which is essential for cardiac valve formation. After completing her PhD, Anne relocated to the IMB in 2012 to work as a UQ postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Prof Ben Hogan. She initiated a project studying the mechanotransduction of endothelial cell-cell junctions in vivo, in collaboration with the lab of Prof. Alpha Yap.

Anne opened her own lab at the IMB in 2019. Her team uses both zebrafish and 3D cultured human vasculature to identify the cellular mechanisms that control blood vessel integrity, both during development and in diseases such as childhood brain cancer and familial vascular malformations.

Related research projects: 

Dr Anne Lagendijk
University of Queensland

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Associate Professor Kym Lowes

Head of Screening, WEHI


A/ Prof Kym Lowes is the Head of the Screening Lab at WEHI. With over 16 years of experience in early-stage drug discovery, her laboratory exploits state-of-the-art robotic equipment to enhance the scope and speed of the pre-clinical drug discovery process. She leads a multidisciplinary team of 19 staff comprising assay development specialists, target screeners, data scientists, automation experts and engineers.

A/ Prof Lowes has a successful track record leading screening campaigns with collaborators from both academia and pharma. She has designed, implemented and led many large-scale screening campaigns and effectively executed hit to lead and lead optimisation programs. She has been a key contributor to multidisciplinary teams across a wide range of indications including oncology, infectious diseases and inflammatory diseases and various target classes including enzymes, protein-protein interactions and GPCRs.

Related research projects: 

 

Associate Professor Kym Lowes
WEHI

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Associate Professor Jeff Mitchell

Joint Head, NDDC
WEHI


Associate Professor Jeff Mitchell is an accomplished scientist and executive who currently serves as the Head of the National Drug Discovery Centre (NDDC) at WEHI. He is a medicinal chemist with specialist expertise in screening library design, and holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne.

With more than two decades of experience in drug discovery and development, Jeff has led numerous successful projects aimed at advancing novel therapies for a wide range of diseases. Since its establishment in 2020, the NDDC has become a leading centre for drug discovery in Australia, with a focus on innovative approaches and cutting-edge technologies. The Centre paves the way for the development of new drugs with the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and advance our understanding of human health.

Related research projects: 

Associate Professor Jeff Mitchell
WEHI

Image of Dr Sarah Best

Dr Sarah Best

Laboratory Head, WEHI


Sarah is a cancer biologist with a strong focus on genetics and the development of personalised therapeutic strategies. Sarah’s research experience has spanned the breast, skin and lung, where she has made major advances in the understanding of tumour development, progression and biomarkers of disease. For her research investigating the metabolite biomarkers of lung cancer, Sarah was awarded the Research Australia Discovery Award in 2018.

Sarah’s research focus leverages fundamental biology, metabolic properties and the immune microenvironment to develop a deeper understanding of cancer.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

 

 

 

Dr Sarah Best
WEHI

Image of Dr Saskia Freytag

Dr Saskia Freytag

Laboratory Head, WEHI


Saskia is a bioinformatician focusing on the development and application of innovative approaches and technologies to advance our understanding of the brain in health and disease. Saskia has been instrumental in the discovery of pathogenic variants for several neurological diseases. For her innovative research approach, she was awarded the Harry Perkins Aspire Award in 2020.

Additionally, Saskia in her role as an Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) ChooseMaths ambassador passionately advocates for STEM education and actively encourages girls to pursue higher education in mathematics.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

 

 

 

Dr Saskia Freytag
WEHI

Image of Dr Jim Whittle

Dr Jim Whittle

Medical Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Laboratory Head, WEHI
Co-Head Research Strategy, The Brain Cancer Centre


Jim is a medical oncologist specialising in neuro-oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He completed his PhD and was awarded the “Professor Lynn Corcoran PhD Prize” for his research understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for resistance to cell death in breast cancer. This work has provided the foundation for testing novel compounds in early phase clinical trials, together with industry collaboration.

In 2020, Jim commenced working remotely with the Ligon laboratory, Dana Faber Cancer Institute, with a focus on uncovering resistance mechanisms to glioma. Jim is passionate about improving supportive care for patients and carers with brain cancer. Together with Prof Kate Drummond, he co-leads an MRFF funded program to develop an online supportive care platform. 

Dr Whittle & Prof Drummond have recently launched a world-first clinical trial Brain POP, funded through The BCC, which will enable doctors to precisely see the effect of a new drug therapy on a patient’s brain cancer for the first time.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Jim Whittle
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre & WEHI

Image of Dr Lucy Gately

Dr Lucy Gately

Medical Oncologist, The Alfred Hospital & Cabrini
Clinician Researcher, WEHI


Dr Lucy Gately is a medical oncologist at the Alfred Hospital where she is Head of Neuro-Oncology, Cancer Genetics and Clinical Innovation. She is also a clinician researcher in The Brain Cancer Centre as part of the Personalised Oncology Division where she leads a program of research focussed on clinical data and research infrastructure. Lucy is passionate about improving the lives of patients with brain cancer and was awarded a PhD in brain cancer survivorship from the University of Melbourne. The intersection of her research and clinical work provides continued meaning in the battle against brain cancer.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

 

 

 

Dr Lucy Gately
WEHI

Image of Professor Kate Drummond

Professor Kate Drummond AM

Director of Neurosurgery, The Royal Melbourne Hospital


Professor Kate Drummond, AM, MD, FRACS is Director of Neurosurgery at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Head of CNS Tumours at the VCCC Parkville Precinct. Her research and clinical interests are in the biology and management of brain tumours, with special interests in advanced surgical techniques such as awake craniotomy, quality of life and blood and imaging biomarkers.

She has published over 190 peer-reviewed papers and many book chapters and has received more than $35 million in research funding. Her h-index is 43. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Neurosurgery. She has served as Chief Examiner in Neurosurgery, Chair of the Women in Surgery Committee and on the Neurosurgery Surgical Education and Training Board for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, being awarded the RACS medal for these services. She is the President of the Asian Australasian Society of Neurosurgeons.

She is a strong advocate for and has written and presented widely on diversity in neurosurgery. She is Chair of Pangea Global Health Education, a for-impact organisation specialising in health education in low resource settings. In 2019 she was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to medicine, particularly in neuro-oncology and community health.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

Professor Kate Drummond AM
The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Image of Professor Peter Gibbs

Professor Peter Gibbs

Division Head, WEHI


Professor Peter Gibbs is a Laboratory Head at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. He is a senior medical oncologist at the Western Hospital, where he is an experienced clinical investigator, having led multiple, large, randomised clinical trials. At WEHI his laboratory is focused on translational research, using studies involving clinical data and samples to improve treatment decision making and outcomes, including studies in brain cancer. Professor Gibbs also leads an expanding program in registry-based clinical trials.

Related research projects: 

Professor Peter Gibbs
WEHI

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Professor Misty Jenkins AO

Laboratory Head, WEHI
Co-Head Research Strategy, The Brain Cancer Centre


Prof Misty Jenkins is a NHMRC fellow and laboratory head at WEHI. Misty leads the immunotherapy program within The Brain Cancer Centre. She is dedicated to discovering novel immunotherapy targets for high grade gliomas in adults and children. Her research focusses on the development of novel chimeric antigen receptor T cells for brain cancer. Her group also uses cutting edge two-photon microscopy combined with mouse models of brain cancer to investigate the tumour microenvironment and uncover unique biology of brain tumours.

Misty has a PhD in Immunology from The University of Melbourne, followed by postdoctoral positions at The Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. 

Prof Jenkins was awarded the L’Oreal for Women in Science Fellowship (2013), was Tall Poppy of the year (2015), was awarded the Top100 Women of Influence award (2016) and was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2020.

Misty co-chairs a Federal Health Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and is a passionate advocate for gender equity and Indigenous Health and education. She was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2023 for distinguished service to medical science in Immunology, the support of women in STEM, and to the Indigenous community.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

Professor Misty Jenkins AO
WEHI

Image of Dr Ryan Cross

Dr Ryan Cross

Senior Research Officer, WEHI


Ryan Cross is a senior research officer in Jenkins Laboratory within the Immunology Division at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research. Ryan is member of the immunotherapy program of The Brain Cancer Centre, with his research focusing on the development of novel immunotherapies for treatment of brain cancer. Early in life, Ryan was inspired by a documentary about Dr John Hammond and his vision to genetically engineer dinosaurs. Disappointingly, after finding out that it wasn’t a documentary Ryan redirected that childhood dream to become an expert in synthetic biology whilst studying for his PhD at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Applying his skills in synthetic biology, Ryan is researching how best to genetically engineer the immune system of a person with brain cancer to enhances their immune system’s anti-cancer efficacy. Similar genetic engineering approaches have been successful in blood cancers, however given the increased complexity of brain cancer there is need for a greater level of complexity in the design of synthetic biology for similar success in brain cancer to be realised. Whilst cutting edge genetic engineering may not deliver the pet dinosaur of Ryan’s childhood dreams, he hopes it may provide a future in which those diagnosed with brain cancer are given the opportunity for many nights dreaming of dinosaurs.

Related research projects: 

Dr Ryan Cross
WEHI

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Associate Professor Raelene Endersby

Co-Head, Brain Tumour Research
The Kids Research Institute Australia


Raelene was awarded her PhD in 2003 from the Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research (under the supervision of Peter Klinken), undertook postdoctoral training in the Neurobiology and Brain Tumor Program at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA (under the supervision of Suzanne Baker), and was awarded a Fellowship in 2011 to return to Australia to establish the Brain Tumour Research Program at the The Kids Research Institute Australia which she co-leads with Nick Gottardo. This collaborative group of clinicians, neurosurgeons and laboratory scientists uses a suite of in vivo models to understand the effects of paediatric brain tumour mutations on normal brain development and tumorigenesis. Her team also investigates potential therapeutic targets and uses in vivo model systems to evaluate novel treatments prior to clinical trial.

Raelene is a passionate advocate for science and actively encourages young scientists to get involved in medical research. She has mentored high school students, undergrads, Honours, Masters and PhD students in her lab. Raelene has also chaired the The Kids Research Institute Australia Postdoctoral Council and been on the executive committee for the Australian Academy of Science Early-Mid Career Researchers Forum.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

 

Associate Professor Raelene Endersby
The Kids Research Institute Australia

Image of Professor Lucy Palmer

Professor Lucy Palmer

Theme Leader and Group Head, The Florey, University of Melbourne


Professor Lucy Palmer is head of the Neural Network Laboratory at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia. She completed her Master of Science at the University of Minnesota, USA and Ph.D at the Australian National University. She then pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Bern, Switzerland and Charite University, Berlin before returning to Australia to establish her research laboratory. Her research uses advanced functional imaging and electrophysiological techniques to investigate how the brain encodes learning and memory in health and disease. She has published articles in high impact journals such as Science, Nature Neuroscience and Nature Communications.

Related research projects: 

Professor Lucy Palmer
The Florey, University of Melbourne

Image of Dr Verena Wimmer

Dr Verena Wimmer

Senior Research Officer
WEHI


I am an expert microscopist and trained neurobiologist. Throughout my career imaging has been central to my research, with high impact publications focusing on confocal and multiphoton microscopy both in vitro and in vivo, methods development, quantitative imaging approaches and lightsheet imaging of large cleared tissue samples.

During my PhD thesis I worked with Professor Thomas Kuner at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany, and subsequently joined Nobel Laureate Professor Bert Sakmann’s group at the same institute for my first postdoc. I later moved to Melbourne and used quantitative imaging methods to study epilepsy in Professor Steven Petrou’s laboratory at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. I managed the Florey’s Microscopy Facility from 2014 to 2017 and joined the Centre for Dynamic Imaging at WEHI in 2017. My areas of expertise include tissue clearing, whole mount and multiplex staining, lightsheet imaging, in vivo multiphoton imaging and various other imaging techniques.

Related research projects: 

Dr Verena Wimmer
WEHI

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Professor Kate Drummond AM

Director of Neurosurgery, The Royal Melbourne Hospital


Professor Kate Drummond, AM, MD, FRACS is Director of Neurosurgery at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Head of CNS Tumours at the VCCC Parkville Precinct. Her research and clinical interests are in the biology and management of brain tumours, with special interests in advanced surgical techniques such as awake craniotomy, quality of life and blood and imaging biomarkers.

She has published over 190 peer-reviewed papers and many book chapters and has received more than $35 million in research funding. Her h-index is 43. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Neurosurgery. She has served as Chief Examiner in Neurosurgery, Chair of the Women in Surgery Committee and on the Neurosurgery Surgical Education and Training Board for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, being awarded the RACS medal for these services. She is the President of the Asian Australasian Society of Neurosurgeons.

She is a strong advocate for and has written and presented widely on diversity in neurosurgery. She is Chair of Pangea Global Health Education, a for-impact organisation specialising in health education in low resource settings. In 2019 she was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to medicine, particularly in neuro-oncology and community health.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

Professor Kate Drummond AM
The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Image of Associate Professor Raelene Endersby

Associate Professor Raelene Endersby

Co-Head, Brain Tumour Research
The Kids Research Institute Australia


Raelene was awarded her PhD in 2003 from the Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research (under the supervision of Peter Klinken), undertook postdoctoral training in the Neurobiology and Brain Tumor Program at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA (under the supervision of Suzanne Baker), and was awarded a Fellowship in 2011 to return to Australia to establish the Brain Tumour Research Program at the The Kids Research Institute Australia which she co-leads with Nick Gottardo. This collaborative group of clinicians, neurosurgeons and laboratory scientists uses a suite of in vivo models to understand the effects of paediatric brain tumour mutations on normal brain development and tumorigenesis. Her team also investigates potential therapeutic targets and uses in vivo model systems to evaluate novel treatments prior to clinical trial.

Raelene is a passionate advocate for science and actively encourages young scientists to get involved in medical research. She has mentored high school students, undergrads, Honours, Masters and PhD students in her lab. Raelene has also chaired the The Kids Research Institute Australia Postdoctoral Council and been on the executive committee for the Australian Academy of Science Early-Mid Career Researchers Forum.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

 

Associate Professor Raelene Endersby
The Kids Research Institute Australia

Image of Professor Misty Jenkins

Professor Misty Jenkins AO

Laboratory Head, WEHI
Co-Head Research Strategy, The Brain Cancer Centre


Prof Misty Jenkins is a NHMRC fellow and laboratory head at WEHI. Misty leads the immunotherapy program within The Brain Cancer Centre. She is dedicated to discovering novel immunotherapy targets for high grade gliomas in adults and children. Her research focusses on the development of novel chimeric antigen receptor T cells for brain cancer. Her group also uses cutting edge two-photon microscopy combined with mouse models of brain cancer to investigate the tumour microenvironment and uncover unique biology of brain tumours.

Misty has a PhD in Immunology from The University of Melbourne, followed by postdoctoral positions at The Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. 

Prof Jenkins was awarded the L’Oreal for Women in Science Fellowship (2013), was Tall Poppy of the year (2015), was awarded the Top100 Women of Influence award (2016) and was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2020.

Misty co-chairs a Federal Health Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and is a passionate advocate for gender equity and Indigenous Health and education. She was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2023 for distinguished service to medical science in Immunology, the support of women in STEM, and to the Indigenous community.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

Professor Misty Jenkins AO
WEHI

Image of Dr Saskia Freytag

Dr Saskia Freytag

Laboratory Head, WEHI


Saskia is a bioinformatician focusing on the development and application of innovative approaches and technologies to advance our understanding of the brain in health and disease. Saskia has been instrumental in the discovery of pathogenic variants for several neurological diseases. For her innovative research approach, she was awarded the Harry Perkins Aspire Award in 2020.

Additionally, Saskia in her role as an Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) ChooseMaths ambassador passionately advocates for STEM education and actively encourages girls to pursue higher education in mathematics.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

 

 

 

Dr Saskia Freytag
WEHI

Dr Brittany Dewdney

Postdoctoral Researcher
The Kids Research Institute Australia


Dr Brittany Dewdney is a molecular biologist specialising in biochemistry, genetics, and metabolism. She has a wide range of skills and knowledge in the field of medical science and disease, completing a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and human genetics, a Master’s degree in biomedical science with a research focus on ischemic stroke, and a PhD in cancer metabolism and targeted therapies in primary liver cancer.

Dr Dewdney joined the Kids Research Institute Cancer Centre to follow her passion for brain cancer research and strives to discover new ways to improve survival outcomes for brain cancer patients. In 2023 she was awarded a BrightSpark Fellowship to use her knowledge and collaborative skills in understanding the impacts of brain tumour resection surgery on the brain tumour immune microenvironment. Her research focuses on mapping the spatiotemporal neuroimmune changes that occur in the brain after surgery and understanding how the wound healing response may be exploited to develop more clinically relevant immunotherapies.

Related research projects: 

 

Dr Brittany Dewdney
The Kids Research Institute Australia

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Professor Nick Gottardo

Co-Head, Brain Tumour Research
The Kids Research Institute Australia


Prof Nick Gottardo is Co-Head of the Institute’s Brain Tumour Research Team and a Consultant Paediatric Oncologist/Neuro-Oncologist and Head of Department of Paediatric Oncology and Haematology at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. Prof Gottardo is also an Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Western Australia and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP).

Prof Gottardo is driven by his belief that it’s unacceptable for children to die from brain tumours. His research interests include developing laboratory models of brain tumours, testing new therapies using these models and identifying areas of weaknesses in the tumours that might be suitable drug targets.

Prof Gottardo’s medical career began at Leeds University with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery/Chirurgery. He worked for two and a half years as a doctor in the UK, before heading to Australia in 1996, where he took up a position at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and began a PhD at The Kids Research Institute Australia. After completing his PhD, Prof Gottardo headed to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, USA, one of the world’s premier childhood cancer institutes. He spent three years at St Jude as a post-doctoral brain tumour fellow and gained extensive experience in the laboratory in brain tumour model generation, preclinical testing and brain cancer cell biology, as well as expertise in the management of children with brain tumours in the clinic. In 2008 he received the International Symposium Paediatric Neuro-Oncology (ISPNO) Young Investigator award for scientific excellence. Dr Gottardo returned to Perth Australia in 2008 as a Consultant Paediatric Oncologist/Neuro-Oncologist and established the Brain Tumour Research Programme at the The Kids Research Institute Australia. In 2012 he was awarded the Raine Clinician Research Fellowship and in 2016 the Cancer Council Western Australia Research Fellowship.

In his clinical capacity Prof Gottardo is the Deputy Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology and Oncology Group (ANZCHOG) and Chair of their Central Nervous System (CNS)Tumours Subgroup, and a Board member of the Australian Children’s Cancer Therapy (ACCT) group. He is also a member of the international North American based Children’s Oncology Group (COG) CNS Tumour Committee and leads the COG’s upfront clinical trial for patients with WNT-driven medulloblastoma. He collaborates extensively both nationally and internationally; he is a founding member of the Brain Cancer Discovery Collaborative (BCDC) – a collaborative network consisting of the best brain cancer scientists and clinicians across Australia and a member of the International Medulloblastoma Working Group.

Related research projects: 

Professor Nick Gottardo
The Kids Research Institute Australia

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Professor Lucy Palmer

Theme Leader and Group Head, The Florey, University of Melbourne


Professor Lucy Palmer is head of the Neural Network Laboratory at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia. She completed her Master of Science at the University of Minnesota, USA and Ph.D at the Australian National University. She then pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Bern, Switzerland and Charite University, Berlin before returning to Australia to establish her research laboratory. Her research uses advanced functional imaging and electrophysiological techniques to investigate how the brain encodes learning and memory in health and disease. She has published articles in high impact journals such as Science, Nature Neuroscience and Nature Communications.

Related research projects: 

Professor Lucy Palmer
The Florey, University of Melbourne

Image of Dr Heidi McAlpine

Dr Heidi McAlpine

Neurosurgery Registrar, The Royal Melbourne Hospital
PhD Candidate, The Florey, University of Melbourne


Dr. Heidi McAlpine is a training neurosurgeon who completed her BSc(hons), MBBS and DipSurgAnat at the University of Melbourne. Her research interests include brain cancer survivorship and understanding the electrical activity of brain cancer cells. Over the last 10 years her survivorship research has gone from an idea of forming an evidence based online resource for brain cancer patients to receiving a $2.6M MRFF grant to build this resource. She has returned to clinical work at the Royal Children’s Hospital after undertaking a PhD at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health looking at the electrical activity of brain cancer which was supported by the Warren Haynes Fellowship from the Neuroscience Foundation, the Melbourne University Research Training Program Scholarship and the Brain Cancer Centre. Heidi hopes to forge a career as a surgeon/scientist specialising in brain cancer surgery and research. For her clinical work Heidi was awarded the inaugural Professor Kaye Best Neurosurgery Registrar at the Royal Melbourne Hospital award in 2019.

In addition to her clinical and research work, Heidi leads the Pangea Medical Student Program, which upskills local medical trainees in low-income countries in the fundamentals of patient care. She is a mother of two pandemic babies, and juggles her time between operating, laboratory work, and spending time with her family.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

 

 

 

Dr Heidi McAlpine
The Royal Melbourne Hospital & The Florey, University of Melbourne

Image of Professor Kate Drummond

Professor Kate Drummond AM

Director of Neurosurgery, The Royal Melbourne Hospital


Professor Kate Drummond, AM, MD, FRACS is Director of Neurosurgery at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Head of CNS Tumours at the VCCC Parkville Precinct. Her research and clinical interests are in the biology and management of brain tumours, with special interests in advanced surgical techniques such as awake craniotomy, quality of life and blood and imaging biomarkers.

She has published over 190 peer-reviewed papers and many book chapters and has received more than $35 million in research funding. Her h-index is 43. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Neurosurgery. She has served as Chief Examiner in Neurosurgery, Chair of the Women in Surgery Committee and on the Neurosurgery Surgical Education and Training Board for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, being awarded the RACS medal for these services. She is the President of the Asian Australasian Society of Neurosurgeons.

She is a strong advocate for and has written and presented widely on diversity in neurosurgery. She is Chair of Pangea Global Health Education, a for-impact organisation specialising in health education in low resource settings. In 2019 she was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to medicine, particularly in neuro-oncology and community health.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

Professor Kate Drummond AM
The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Image of Associate Professor Oliver Sieber

Professor Oliver Sieber

Laboratory Head, WEHI


Professor Oliver Sieber is a Laboratory Head in the Personalised Oncology Division at WEHI. His research aims to identify new and more effective treatments for individuals affected by cancers of the bowel, oral cavity and brain. After gaining his PhD at Cancer Research UK in 2004, he undertook 6 years postdoctoral training at Cancer Research UK, the University of Oxford and the Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research (LICR Melbourne) in the field of cancer biology. He was Joint Laboratory Head at the LICR Melbourne from 2009-12, before joining WEHI as Laboratory Head. At WEHI, he set up the Stafford Fox Centre for Cancer Stem Cell Disease Modelling to facilitate the development of precision medicine approaches for cancer utilising patient-derived organoids. He serves as Deputy Chair of the Translational Research Committee of the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG).

Related research projects: 

Professor Oliver Sieber
WEHI

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Professor Peter Gibbs

Division Head, WEHI


Professor Peter Gibbs is a Laboratory Head at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. He is a senior medical oncologist at the Western Hospital, where he is an experienced clinical investigator, having led multiple, large, randomised clinical trials. At WEHI his laboratory is focused on translational research, using studies involving clinical data and samples to improve treatment decision making and outcomes, including studies in brain cancer. Professor Gibbs also leads an expanding program in registry-based clinical trials.

Related research projects: 

Professor Peter Gibbs
WEHI

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Dr Claire Storey

Research Officer
WEHI


Dr. Claire Storey is a Research Officer in the Personalised Oncology Division at WEHI.

She obtained her PhD from La Trobe University in 2024, where she developed a novel model for Alzheimer’s disease. Claire has an extensive background in neuroscience, having previously worked on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Since joining Professor Oliver Sieber’s group in 2021, she has utilised her expertise to contribute to the establishment of a brain cancer organoid program for therapeutic discovery. 

Her work focuses on enhancing the use of patient-derived tumour organoids as a preclinical model for translational brain cancer research. By incorporating a personalised approach, Claire’s research seeks to tailor therapeutic strategies to individual patients, leveraging these advanced models to identify more effective treatments and improve outcomes for those facing brain cancer.

Related research projects: 

Dr Claire Storey
WEHI

Image of Dr Lucy Gately

Dr Lucy Gately

Medical Oncologist, The Alfred Hospital & Cabrini
Clinician Researcher, WEHI


Dr Lucy Gately is a medical oncologist at the Alfred Hospital where she is Head of Neuro-Oncology, Cancer Genetics and Clinical Innovation. She is also a clinician researcher in The Brain Cancer Centre as part of the Personalised Oncology Division where she leads a program of research focussed on clinical data and research infrastructure. Lucy is passionate about improving the lives of patients with brain cancer and was awarded a PhD in brain cancer survivorship from the University of Melbourne. The intersection of her research and clinical work provides continued meaning in the battle against brain cancer.

Related research projects: 

Related videos: 

 

 

 

 

Dr Lucy Gately
WEHI

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Dr Owen Marshall

Senior Research Fellow
Menzies Institute for Medical Research


Dr. Owen Marshall is a Senior Research Fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, where he leads a research group investigating how epigenetic factors influence brain development and disease. His career began with a focus on understanding how the packaging of our genetic material changes during cancer development, and led to him developing new tools to profile these changes in living organisms. His current research builds on these foundations, aiming to uncover the mechanisms that drive the healthy development of our brains, and understand how these are disrupted in the formation of brain tumours. Dr. Marshall’s work is driven by the hope that understanding these processes at a molecular level will lead to better ways to prevent and treat brain cancer in the future.

Related research projects: 

Dr Owen Marshall
Menzies Institute for Medical Research

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Professor Rosemary Harrup

Director of Cancer and Blood Services
Royal Hobart Hospital


Clinical Professor Rosemary Harrup FRACP FRCPA trained in Medical Oncology and Clinical and Laboratory Haematology, completing a dual Fellowship in 2000. She is a full-time clinician and current Director of the Cancer and Blood Services at the Royal Hobart Hospital. She has a strong interest in clinical research, particularly in the areas of Brain Cancer, Malignant Haematology and Late Effects. She serves as a board member of the Cancer Council of Tasmania, the RHH Research Foundation and Deputy Chair of COGNO, the Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro Oncology and is a Tasmanian representative on the Australian Teletrials Project. Dr Harrup is a member of the Australian Brain Cancer Mission Expert Advisory Panel from 2022. She is passionate about delivering the best possible cancer care and support to all cancer patients throughout the cancer journey.

Related research projects: 

Professor Rosemary Harrup
Royal Hobart Hospital

Image of Professor Jo Dickinson

Professor Jo Dickinson

Leader Cancer Genetics Group
Menzies Institute for Medical Research


Professor Dickinson began her career as a cancer biologist in the Joint Oncology Program led by Professor John Kerr, a world-recognised pioneer in apoptosis research where she gained a PhD in Pathology from the University of Queensland. Later relocating to Tasmania Jo trained with eminent Australian ophthalmologist Professor David Mackey in eye disease genetics and then with award winning human geneticist Professor Simon Foote, then Director of the Menzies Institute for Medical Research.

Prof Dickinson now leads the Cancer Genetics team at the Menzies Institute and her passion is to understand how inherited differences in our genes drive the development of complex diseases, in particular cancers including brain cancers. Highlights of her career have included working with cross-disciplinary teams applying genetic approaches to solving scientific problems in a variety of fields and the opportunity to work with indigenous communities. A particular focus of her work is employing genomic innovation to deliver improved health outcomes for those diagnosed with diseases with historically poor outcomes such as brain cancer. In addition to understanding the genetic basis of human disease development and progression, she has a strong interest in the ethical and legal issues associated with biobanking and the application of genomics in medicine.

Related research projects: 

Professor Jo Dickinson
Menzies Institute for Medical Research