Maria Kavallaris has been awarded the prestigious Royal Society of NSW Walter Burfitt Prize for 2023 – Children’s Cancer Institute
Children’s Cancer Institute shared on LinkedIn:
“Leading researcher, Professor Maria Kavallaris, from Children’s Cancer Institute has been awarded the prestigious Royal Society of NSW Walter Burfitt Prize for 2023 for her leadership, research and advocacy in the treatment of childhood cancer.
Awarded every three years by Australia’s oldest learned society, the Prize recognises outstanding excellence in science, technology, philosophy, and the arts.
As Leader of the Translational Cancer Nanomedicine Group at Children’s Cancer Institute and founding Director of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine at UNSW, Professor Kavallaris has made important discoveries in relation to the mechanisms of clinical drug resistance and tumour aggressiveness in childhood cancer.
One of her most significant discoveries was identifying specific genetic changes in tumour cells that make them resistant to chemotherapy and developing a means of targeting these genetic changes and reversing the drug resistance.
Professor Kavallaris is also recognised as an Australian pioneer in the medical application of nanotechnology and has had significant success finding ways to package and deliver chemotherapy drugs in nanostructures that specifically target tumour cells. This approach not only aims to improve drug efficacy but also drug safety, minimising harmful effects on healthy tissues – a particularly important consideration in growing children.
“I’ve dedicated my life to understanding and identifying effective treatments for cancer because I believe that everyone deserves a chance to survive. This award is a reminder that our work is making a difference. This award is not just for me; it’s for all the past and present brilliant students and researchers who I have had the honour of mentoring and working with,” said Professor Kavallaris.
A huge congratulations to Professor Kavallaris for this prestigious award.
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