Sustainability Award Helps Fund Cancer Research

March 29th, 2010 - Media Statement

West Australian scientists investigating ways to stem the growth of cancer have been presented with a generous funding boost by a winning team at Woodside.

Handing over a cheque for $5,000 to a Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) laboratory, Woodside VP - Pluto Business Assurance Ray Hunt said the team's inspiring work had prompted the donation.

"As the team which won the leadership and capability category at Woodside's Sustainability Awards for internal projects, we were able to nominate a charity to receive our prize money," he said.

"Our assurance team decided to offer our gift to the WAIMR laboratory because of the direct linkage of our sustainability theme to their research in reversing the growth of blood vessels inside tumours."

"We were inspired by their work aimed at opening up the tumour environment to the body's own immune system in order to treat cancer - if that's not sustainable development, we don't know what is!"

The annual Woodside sustainability awards recognise outstanding sustainability performance by its employees. Each category winner receives $5,000 to donate to their nominated charity.

Head of WAIMR's Laboratory for Angiogenesis and Tumour Immunology Professor Ruth Ganss said her team was overwhelmed by the sentiment and support of the Woodside Group.

"We are extremely grateful to Ray and his Woodside colleagues for their generosity and we will be putting these funds to good use in our search for better treatment for cancer," she said.

"This is a real boost to our team, not only providing us with vital funds, but in knowing the community are behind what we're doing - the Woodside donation has definitely given us added enthusiasm."

In 2008, Professor Ganss and her team found that a gene called RGS5 can reverse angiogenesis - the growth of blood vessels inside the tumour - meaning tumours can be destroyed more effectively and quickly.

The discovery was published in Nature, one of the world's most prestigious scientific journals.

WAIMR director Professor Peter Klinken commended the company for its contribution to the community and medical research.

"Woodside's donation and other corporate contributions like it are invaluable to our work and it's fantastic to see initiatives such as this being embraced because they offer big gains for the community," he said.

"I'm very proud of the work being done by Professor Ganss and her team, and believe they are well-deserving of the donation with their world-leading research."

For more information please contact:
Carolyn Monaghan
Communications Manager
Mobile: 0448 021 932 (media enquiries only)
Office: (08) 9224 0377
Email: carolyn.monaghan@waimr.uwa.edu.au