My name is Dr. Ken and I'm a scientist at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) trying to understand more about the deadly skin cancer, melanoma. Unfortunately, Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world and more alarming is that the rates of melanoma incidence has been steadily rising over the last 20 years! Melanoma is also a very agressive skin cancer that can rapidly spread throughout the body, and once it does so, the chances of survival are very low. Knowing how devastating melanoma is to patients and the families involved, I have dedicated my career to understanding how melanoma occurs so we can develop new therapies in treating this disease.

As a scientist I know first hand of the importance of the funds raised through the RTCC. QIMR is tackling a variety of cancers by understanding more about how they occur, finding and developing new drug targets, and performing a variety of pre-clinical studies. If you are not aware, the majority of science is funded through funding bodies such as the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC). However, at QIMR, this only accounts for 2/3 of all the expenses required to complete our research. The other 1/3 comes from the generous contributions and donations of the community. This is why the funds raised through the RTCC is incredibly important, and is why your donation can make a massive impact!

This year I am attempting a grand slam!

Will you join my crusade by donating to groundbreaking cancer research?

For more information on my research, or to make a donation, head to

http://cfrau.convio.net/goto/kendr