Shave the Way for a Brighter Day

I am shaving my head and beard for a good cause! On December 5 at school, I will be shaving for science.

Almost 1000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in Australia. Luckily, ~90% of these children will survive reflecting the introduction of new, more effective treatments. Unfortunately, life after cancer can be very difficult for childhood cancer survivors with many children experiencing long term side effects of their life saving cancer treatment.

The developing, child brain is especially vulnerable to the damaging effects of cancer treatments like chemotherapy. Even though chemotherapy is given intravenously (in the blood), it can cross the specialised lining of the brain (the “blood brain barrier) causing irreversible brain damage. This damage impacts the cognitive function of childhood cancer survivors, and as a result, many of these kids find it difficult to go back to school, find work and live independently as adults.

Dr Hannah Wardill and PhD student, Maya Davies, are on a mission to make sure childhood cancer survivors are not negatively impacted by their life saving treatment. To do this, they are finding ways to strengthen the blood brain barrier and stop chemotherapy from entering the brain and causing damage.

Maya has developed a new way to grow miniature brains in the lab using human stem cells, and she is now using this model to test ways of strengthening the blood brain barrier.

To do this, she needs a specialised piece of equipment called an EVOM. This measures how strong the blood brain barrier is with extreme precision, and will help her accurately identify which strategies are the most effective in strengthing the blood brain barrier and preventing brain damage caused by chemotherapy.

Funds raised will go directly towards buying Hannah and Maya an EVOM machine so they can continue to support children in need.