Murdoch Childrens Research Institute PhD scholar Denise Miles
has received a Victoria Fellowship in recognition of her research
into testicular cancer.
The incidence of testicular cancer has doubled in Australia
since 1982 and very little is known about this 'hidden male cancer'
- the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 39.
Denise is investigating how sperm cells that do not develop
properly lead to testis cancer.
She was one of six young Victorian scientists to receive a
prestigious Victoria Fellowship at a gala function at Government
House on September 13.
The Victoria Fellowships, each worth $18,000, were first awarded
by the Victorian Government in 1998 to recognise young researchers
with leadership potential and to enhance their future careers,
while developing new ideas which could offer commercial benefit to
Victoria.
Denise will use her fellowship to attend a major conference in
the USA and a workshop in Denmark before undertaking further
research at a world-leading laboratory in the Netherlands.
The time spent in the Netherlands will allow her to work further
on the genes that she has identified during her PhD to come up with
new testis cancer diagnostics.