Ron Evans Cancer Research Fellowship

Dr Sameer Greenall, is the inaugural recipient of the Ron Evans Cancer Research Fellowship.

The Ron Evans Cancer Research Fellowship was established to honour the memory of the late Ron Evans AM. The Fellowship was announced at the inaugural Ron Evans Golf Day in November 2007.
Funds raised at the Golf Day support the Fellowship.

“Being awarded the inaugural Ron Evans Cancer Research Fellowship is a huge honour. Having a Fellowship such as this, at an early stage in my career, will open many opportunities for me”,   said Dr Greenall.

The Fellowship aims to provide an opportunity for an outstanding early career scientist to study basic biology in an effort to learn more about the growth and development of different cancers to discover new approaches to cancer prognosis and therapy. The Fellowship will promote and enhance the research conducted in Centre for Cancer Research at MIMR.

Dr Greenall grew up wanting to be a veterinarian, but after completing a science degree he developed an interest in pursuing a research career.  He was drawn to the field of cancer research after two members of his family passed away due to cancer.

Dr Greenall joined MIMR’s Centre for Cancer Research to work with Associate Professor Terry Johns in the Oncogenic Signalling Laboratory. His research is focused on a protein called c-met that is linked with the progression of normal cells to cancerous cells. C-met is vital for foetal development and, in adult life, for wound
healing by promoting the movement of cells and the development of new blood vessels.

Over time, the c-met protein can develop mutations that result in changes in its function. Some of these mutations are closely associated with the initiation and progression of colon and other cancers including brain and breast.

Dr Greenall’s research will investigate the way different c-met proteins signal to the cell to induce the changes associated with cancer development. In addition, he will look at ways in which these different c-met proteins interact with other proteins in the body and whether these interactions are capable of inducing cancer.

“I look forward to attending  the 2009 Ron Evans Golf Day to speak to participants about my research.”

“I’m hopeful that this research will provide new information about cell signalling in cancer and
potentially identify new herapeutic targets for some forms of cancer, particularly for the treatment of colon
cancer”, said Dr Greenall.