SEMINAR: Cancer Nanomedicine: Opportunities and Challenges

Maria Kavallaris has made seminal contributions to understanding the mechanisms of action and resistance to antimitotic agents in cancer. Her studies on the cytoskeleton revealed alterations associated with tumourigenesis and metastasis and she has applied this knowledge to develop effective and less toxic cancer therapies using nanotechnology. Maria Kavallaris' research has led to patents and industry collaborations for the development of a gene silencing therapeutic for the treatment of lung cancer. She has held numerous fellowships including three concurrent NHMRC Fellowships and her research contributions have been recognized by numerous awards and prizes, including a Young Tall Poppy Award and an Australian Museum Eureka Prize. She was recently named by the National Health and Medical Research Council as a "High Achiever in Health & Medical Research in Australia and internationally". Her broader contributions include serving on key government funding panels, committees and editorial boards, including Cancer Research and Nanomedicine. She is a member of the board of the International Nanomedicine Society and Chair of the Board of the Australian Institute for Policy and Science. Professor Kavallaris is a past-President of the Australian Society for Medical Research.