Nick is a 2017 Cure Cancer Australia grant recipient and he’s doing incredible work. Nick, 46, is a researcher at WA’s Telethon Kids Institute, one of the largest and most successful medical research institutes in Australia with a team of more than 500 staff and students.
As a grant recipient, Nick is one of 17 early-career cancer researchers Cure Cancer Australia is supporting this year. Many of our researchers, like Nick, have made discoveries and had breakthroughs that are saving lives in Australia and globally.
Specifically, Nick’s lab focuses on the most common childhood brain cancer - medulloblastoma. Though the survival rate for this variant is now around 70%, the current therapy has significant, life-long toxic consequences.
“It’s not just about survival. It’s about quality of life after survival, and leading a happy productive life with dignity. All too often, unfortunately our treatments can be quite damaging, particularly if we have to use radiotherapy.”
– Dr. Nick Gottardo
While it’s true that incredible progress has been made, we need to continue to fund innovation through early-career researchers, to ensure this is the last generation to die from cancer.