Facts & figures
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Donate to cancer research
From breast cancer to lung cancer, your donation can help us find a cure
Donate online to help our researchers find better ways to diagnose, treat and cure cancer. You'll make a lasting impact on individuals, families and communities affected by these devastating diseases.
Why support our cancer research?
Across the University, some of our brightest minds are collaborating on cancer research – from breast cancer and melanoma, to brain cancer, lymphoma, bowel cancer and rare forms of cancer.
Over the past years, the support from our donors have encouraged innovative thinking and allowed us to discover new approaches to cancer research.
We've already made major contributions to the knowledge and treatment of the disease, and are recognised as leaders in the field.
For example, our researchers received four of seven awards at the 2018 NSW Premier’s Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research, with Professor Georgina Long named Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year.
Just like charitible organizations, we rely on funding and the generosity of our donor community to continue our life-changing research.
The pain of seeing mum take her last breath will never leave my memory, but neither will the support of friends and family. Being a researcher myself, I know how critical donations of all sizes are to research.
Dr Felix Marsh-Wakefield
Research highlights
We're working on cancer prevention and screening, cancer genetics, and the development of new drugs, cell and radiation treatments.
Our research is embedded in clinical experience, and translated into clinical practice.
Every cancer has a different set of molecular changes. Treatments can be broad, and with varied results.
University of Sydney researchers working at the Children’s Medical Research Institute are building a database of information about the molecular make-up of cancer.
The database, called ProCan®, aims to allow clinicians around the world to develop better treatment plans for patients, by looking at the protein signature of each cancer cell.
Professor David Reilly has found that nanoscale diamonds can light up early-stage cancers in MRI scans, potentially identifying tumours before they become life-threatening.
Nanodiamonds also have enormous drug delivery capabilities, and could be used for delivering chemotherapy – reducing drug dosages and enhancing accuracy.
The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is known as an anti-inflammatory, but Dr Pegah Varamini is investigating its potential as a cancer treatment, specifically in triple-negative breast cancer, which affects around 15 percent of breast cancer patients.
Using nanoscale technology, Dr Varamini is developing a method that delivers curcumin only to cancer cells, leaving healthy cells alone; a major improvement on chemotherapy which devastates normal cells as well. This could be good news for triple-negative breast cancer patients who currently can only be treated with chemotherapy.
How to donate
When you make a donation to the University, you can choose to support cancer research:
- If you'd like to give online, you can make a one-off online donation and simply select "Cancer research".
- Otherwise, you can leave a bequest in your will, make a one-off or regular donation, or donate in honour or memory of someone.
- Contact us and we can work with you to find the best fit for your donation – whether that's supporting cancer research more broadly, or directing your donation to a specific area of your choice (eg, lymphoma research). Contact us on +61 2 8627 8818 or development.fund@sydney.edu.au
