Professor Georgia Chenevix-Trench has won the 2022 GSK Award for Research Excellence (ARE) in recognition of her work mapping the genetics of breast, ovarian and other cancers, including a $100,000 grant to further develop the work.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting Australian women, with approximately 57 people diagnosed every day in 2022, and Professor Chenevix Trench’s groundbreaking research has elevated global understanding of why some people have a genetic risk to cancer and what determines it.
With over 30 years of experience in cancer genetics, Professor Chenevix Trench is at the forefront of cancer research in Australia. She’s a Distinguished Scientist from The QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and was even named one of the most influential health figures this year in Queensland.
“I’ve had an interest in helping those affected by hereditary cancers my entire life,” says Professor Chenevix-Trench.
“Over the last five years, my focus has been to understand how genetic variants act as a determining factor in developing breast cancer. Unless we know how these genomes operate in relation to cancerous cells, we won’t be able to translate the knowledge we have gained into tangible treatment options and preventative solutions for patients.”
Now, Professor Chenevix-Trench’s name is being added to the esteemed list of the GSK ARE winners, and she’ll receive a $100,000 AUD grant that will allow her team to purchase new equipment to accelerate their work by providing in-depth and timely insights into cancer cell behaviour.
The GSK ARE is one of the most prestigious and long-standing independently-judged awards available to the Australian medical research community. It’s been awarded since 1980 with over $3 million given to supporting Australian medical research with a focus on human health.
Professor Chenevix-Trench says she is, “looking forward to joining the legacy of this award” and using her leadership role in the community to “champion and support other female scientists in Australia”.
The 2022 GSK ARE was presented to Professor Chenevix-Trench at Research Australia’s Health and Medical Research Awards in Melbourne.
“Georgia, and her team, are driving innovative research in cancer genetics that truly has the potential to improve health outcomes for cancer patients around the world,” said Medical Director at GSK Australia, Dr Alan Paul at the awards.
Professor Chenevix-Trench and her team have identified over 240 regions of the genome that are likely to affect a person’s risk of developing breast cancer, and she says understanding the biology behind the genomes of cancer cells is key in improving patient outcomes
The genome contains all the essential information needed for a cell to function and develop, and when abnormal changes occur to the genome of cells in the body, this can trigger the development of cancer.
The genetic variants that her team discovered are a common occurrence within the general population and differ from the rare mutations previously linked to breast cancer. Women who carry these variants are at increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Professor Chenevix-Trench says her team is currently looking “at how certain genes influence the way cancerous cells or tumours are destroyed by the immune system”.
Their next challenge is to identify which of these genes operate in human cancers since each region consists of a number of genes.
Through the award, the GSK says they’re proud to support home-grown Australian research such as Professor Chenevix-Trench’s trailblazing work.
Previous recipients of the award are some of Australia’s most noted scientific researchers such as Professor Jamie Cooper and Professor Rinaldo Bellomo (2021), Professor Mark Febbraio (2020), Professor Brendan Crabb (2019), and Professor Kathryn North (2011).