Nationally renowned radiation oncologist Dr Mike Fay has been named the inaugural recipient of a three- year fellowship funded by the Mark Hughes Foundation.
The fellowship will allow researchers from the Hunter Medical Research Institute, spearheaded by Dr Fay, to use imaging technology in order to determine reasons why some brain tumour treatments fail.
In addition to this, Dr Fay is hoping to develop scanning markers and targeted therapies for cancer cells that resist current treatments.
Dr Fay believes a fellowship program, where doctors concentrate solely on research rather than seeing patients, will allow advances to be made. "We've been hamstrung previously as most of us [the research team] work in the public health sector and there's just not enough time for research. This fellowship will free people up to do that."
It is understood that the Mark Hughes Foundation accepted many applications for the funding before deciding on Dr Fay.
"I've been involved with the Mark Hughes Foundation for a while," Dr Fay explains, "They're an amazing organisation and it's wonderful that this is happening in brain tumours, which have been a bit of a forgotten area."
Dr Fay and his team are currently carrying out their research at Newcastle's Calvary-Mater Hospital in collaboration with associates in Brisbane.
 |
| Image sources: HMRI and Mark Hughes Foundation websites |
