Our Champions

Prof. Boon Chua is the Director of the Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Prince of Wales Hospital and a globally recognised leader in Oncology. With extensive expertise in radiation oncology, clinical research, and cancer survivorship, she has dedicated her career to advancing patient-centered cancer care and improving outcomes. Prof. Chua is deeply committed to integrating cutting-edge research, precision medicine, and innovative therapies into clinical practice.

As a Professor of Medicine at UNSW Sydney, she drives academic excellence and fosters collaboration across multidisciplinary teams within the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct. Her pioneering work in precision oncology and survivorship care has earned her international acclaim, and her leadership continues to shape the Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre as a beacon of hope for cancer patients.

The Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre provides integrated cancer care, research, and education. Connected to the Randwick Hospital Campus, it offers seamless, evidence-based care across medical oncology, haematology, radiation oncology, palliative care, survivorship, hereditary cancer, youth cancer, and clinical trials.

Palliative Care Service
The expanded Palliative Care Service supports patients at home during their final months and offers multidisciplinary care, rapid response for complex cases, and reduced hospital readmissions.

Cancer Trials and Research Unit
Managing 37 studies, the Centre focuses on targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and more. Growth priorities include trial expansion, translational research, and statewide partnerships.

Precision Care Clinic
In partnership with UNSW Sydney, the Precision Care Clinic is Australia's first dedicated to precision oncology. It bridges the gap between clinical trial advancements and daily practice by using genomic analysis and targeted therapies to personalise cancer treatments, improving outcomes.

Cancer Survivorship Care
Australia's high cancer survival rates highlight the need for post-treatment support. The Cancer Survivorship Centre offers whole-person care through its Inspire Program, focusing on wellness workshops, and a multidisciplinary service providing tailored care. With the addition of exercise physiologists, survivors now access personalised fitness plans and group sessions.

Cardio-Oncology Clinic
Launched in April 2024, the Cardio-Oncology Clinic, Sydney's first gold-status centre, addresses cardiovascular effects of cancer treatments, enhancing patient care and survivorship.

Christine is the recipient of the NELUNE Foundation's Rebecca Wilson Fellowship in Cancer Research, established by the Foundation in 2017 in recognition of the late, great Rebecca Wilson - a passionate advocate of the Foundation's work.

Christine's research aims to understand the mechanisms driving human cancer development, progression and metastasis, and to translate these findings to improved treatments for patients.

After completing her PhD in cancer biology at the University of Melbourne, Christine continued her post-doctoral studies at the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Christine's lab at Garvan investigates the effects of cancer cell plasticity – the ability of cancer cells to switch between different states – which changes a cancer's behaviour and can drive tumour progression, metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. Specifically, her lab specialises in breast cancer biology, and discovering the mechanisms that underpin cancer cells switching into different states that are more aggressive and therefore less susceptible to many therapies.

Through the publication of a number of high-impact papers, including in Cell, Science and Nature Medicine, Christine has challenged, and changed, pre‐established paradigms in cancer biology. Her research has verified plasticity as an innovative target to combat aggressive and chemotherapy-resistant cancers. Her immediate goal is to translate those research findings into new therapies to improve patient survival and quality-of-life.

At Garvan, Christine has discovered a key mechanism by which triple negative breast cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy. She is currently designing a clinical trial that will reveal whether a new therapeutic approach that targets this mechanism of drug resistance could improve the effectiveness of standard-of-care chemotherapy, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

A/Prof Christine Chaffer's research at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research aims to understanding the mechanisms driving human cancer development, progression and metastasis, and to translate these findings to improved treatments for patients.

After completing her PhD in cancer biology at the University of Melbourne, A/Prof Chaffer continued her post-doctoral studies at the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A/Prof Chaffer's lab at Garvan investigates the effects of cancer cell plasticity – the ability of cancer cells to switch between different states – which changes a cancer's behaviour and can drive tumour progression, metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. Specifically, her lab specialises in breast cancer biology, and discovering the mechanisms that underpin cancer cells switching into different states that are more aggressive and therefore less susceptible to many therapies.

Through the publication of a number of high-impact papers, including in Cell, Science and Nature Medicine, A/Prof Chaffer has challenged, and changed, pre‐established paradigms in cancer biology. Her research has verified plasticity as an innovative target to combat aggressive and chemotherapy-resistant cancers. Her immediate goal is to translate those research findings into new therapies to improve patient survival and quality-of-life.

At Garvan, through work supported by the Nelune Foundation's Rebecca Wilson Fellowship, A/Prof Chaffer has discovered a key mechanism by which triple negative breast cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy. She is currently designing a clinical trial that will reveal whether a new therapeutic approach that targets this mechanism of drug resistance could improve the effectiveness of standard-of-care chemotherapy, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.