Nikki Verrills - Science Talk 2008

Introduction

Dr Nikki Verrills is a bio-chemist who conducts medical research at the University of Newcastle. Nikki completed her BSc in 1999 and her PhD in 2005. She holds an NHMRC Peter Doherty Postdoctoral Fellowship and a research grant to investigate how a gene, called PP2A changes in breast cancer cells and consider new drugs that target this change. She was awarded the prestigious Young Tall Poppy Science Researcher award in 2007. This award recognises outstanding achievements in science and science communication to the community.

Nikki works with advanced molecular biology techniques to identify the genes and proteins in breast cancer cells and compares the differences to normal cells. Nikki tells us that in 2007 106,000 Australians were diagnosed with cancer and that each of us will be touched by cancer in some way in our lives with 1 in 3 men and 1 in 4 women being directly affected by cancer.

Nikki and her colleagues at the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) received the Australian Museum Voiceless Eureka Prize for Research which replaced the use of animals or animal products with molecular analyses.

In this resource Nikki talks to female science students about her cancer research and what she hopes it will contribute to health practice. She encourages students to go with their passion and to look at the broad range of options and pathways available to those considering a career in science.