Three promising PhD students from across the VCCC Alliance have been recognised with the 2022 Picchi Awards for Excellence in Cancer Research.
The awards, funded by The Picchi Brothers Foundation, aim to inspire and encourage the next generation of cancer research leaders by providing recipients with the opportunity to travel internationally for conferences or collaborative works to support their development towards research independence.
The winners will receive their awards and present their research at a ceremony held at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Level 13 on 21 November 2022, 12.00-2.00pm.
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Irene Deftereos
Research area: Clinical science
Investigating current evidence and practices for improving the nutritional status and outcomes of patients undergoing resection of upper gastrointestinal cancer
Irene is a senior Accredited Practising Dietitian with more than 12 years’ clinical experience, specialising in gastrointestinal surgical oncology. In addition to clinical work at Western Health, Irene has worked as clinical research fellow for The Department of Surgery at The University of Melbourne, undertaking research into cancer-related malnutrition and sarcopenia. Irene recently completed her PhD at The University of Melbourne, investigating current evidence and practices for optimising the nutritional status and outcomes of patients undergoing resection for upper gastrointestinal cancer. Irene is passionate about the role of the dietitian within the multidisciplinary team to improve outcomes for people with cancer.
Asha Bonney
Research area: Population Health
Lung cancer screening with low dose computed tomography (LDCT); exploring opportunities to optimise disease prevention across a range of health outcomes in Australia.
Asha is a Respiratory and Sleep Physician at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and a second year PhD student at the University of Melbourne. She is passionate about providing patients with high quality, evidence-based care. Her PhD focuses on evaluating opportunities provided by a lung cancer screening program with low dose computed tomography in Australia. This research aims to develop a holistic approach to screening that includes risk factor modification, optimisation of co-morbidities and consideration of the psychosocial impacts of screening.
Wenxin Hu
Research area: Basic science
Reprogrammed CRISPR-Cas13 suppresses tumour RNAs with single-nucleotide precision
Wenxin is a fourth-year PhD student at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre within the CRISPR-Cas13 team, Trapani laboratory. Her PhD research project is reprogramming Cas13, a new RNA-targeting CRISPR effector, to target tumour and viral transcripts that are currently not able to be therapeutically treated. The research findings provide a detailed catalogue for efficient Cas13 crRNA design, and demonstrate its great potential and versatility to specifically target various viral infections and oncogenic drivers in a personalised manner.
The Picchi brothers – Vittorio, Antonio and Pietro – were Italian migrants who, despite building a thriving business manufacturing mannequins at the height of Melbourne's emerging fashion and retail business, were left without descendants due to the ravages of asthma and cancer. The Picchi Brothers Foundation was founded in 1993 and has since provided more than $1.5 million in grants to support projects and researchers.
