KALAMUNDA researcher Dr Louise Winteringham is engaged in studies that could help in the fight against breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.
The Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) researcher has discovered a gene that may act as a tumour suppressor.
Dr Winteringham was recently invited to share her West Australian research into breast and prostate cancer at a national scientific conference in Canberra.
She presented her progress on the tumour suppressor gene Hls5 and its role in breast, ovarian and prostate cancer at ComBio 2008.
Dr Winteringham said the conference presented an opportunity for her to share her research developments with peers throughout Australia, and cement Western Australia on the national research map.
“ComBio was an opportunity to tell other scientists around the country about the progress we’ve made in our research and hear first-hand about the developments and inroads my peers have made into cancer treatment,” she said.
“I presented my findings on the role of Hls5 in breast and prostate cancer, having discovered that this gene is lacking in breast and prostate cancer.
“My findings suggest that Hls5 and its associated molecules may provide possible targets for the development of drugs that could assist in treating some breast and prostate cancers.”
The tumour suppressor gene was reported by WAIMR director Professor Peter Klinken, the head of Dr Winteringham’s laboratory, in 2004.