Could the cure for certain cancers be formulating in the mind of a Nambucca Valley local?
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While we’re not trying to put pressure on the young UNSW graduate, 23-year-old Gabriella Marriott has firmly positioned herself in the frontline of the fight against cancer.
Not only did she just graduate with first class Honours from her Undergraduate degree, she also immediately secured herself a role as research assistant at the prestigious Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
“For my Honours thesis I spent the year investigating the anti-cancer potential of a novel compound, working with Endometrial cancer specifically,” Gabriella said.
Endometrial cancer is the most common type of gynaecological cancer, affecting 1900 Australian women each year.
But for the past six months, while at the Garvan Institute, Gabriella has been immersing herself in a project based on precision medicine for high-risk neuroblastoma – an exclusively childhood cancer, affecting kids between the ages of zero and five-years-old.
The past six months have been a dream for Gabriella, who said she has learned more than she ever imagined possible.
She’s loved the cooperation and social atmosphere of being in a research team, and, while she has been a little surprised at how slowly scientific breakthroughs progress from the lab to the clinic, she has also felt a palpable measure of fulfilment in her role.
But then, science has always ticked all her boxes.
While Gabriella was studying at uni, she also acted as an ambassador for a career in science, often visiting high schools to try to kindle the flame of scientific curiosity in students in the midst of considering their futures.
She said while direct pathways to a science degree at university might not be apparent for many regional high school students, she has found during her amabassadorial role “that many universities want to give regional/rural students the best chance in obtaining a degree, especially in science”.
“Living in a small town we didn’t have the best access to science activities outside school, as big cities would,” she said.
“However, the science teachers at Nambucca High were amazing and motivated. They, in part, influenced my decision to pursue a career in science and have definitely played a part in where I am today.”
And she said that a future in science is a pretty sure bet, once you find your footing.
“There are so many different avenues you can take in science. Whether its to do with biology, the environment or physics, you can choose what specialisation in science is right for you,” she said.
“Science is always growing and changing, so it keeps your brain stimulated. I think more students should look into a future in science as there’s always going to be something to learn or discover.”