One of Australia’s leading clinician scientists and founder of national genomic cancer medicine centre, Omico, Professor David Thomas, received the state’s highest accolade for cancer research at the NSW Premier’s Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research tonight.

Professor Thomas, who was crowned Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year, is a leader in the development of precision oncology in Australia, which has extended the lives of thousands of incurable cancer patients through the use of genomics.

Professor Thomas founded Omico, a not-for-profit genomics organisation that accelerates access to precision oncology using technology to detect unique genetic and molecular variations in a person’s cancer to identify new targeted treatments.

Professor Thomas has also led the development of sarcoma research in Australia for the past 20 years, having founded the Australasian Sarcoma Study Group. His work changed the global clinical practice for giant cell tumour of bone, and effective early detection strategies for patients with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, a rare hereditary disorder that increases a person’s risk of cancer.

Professor David Thomas, said, “It’s a great honour to be recognised for the work our teams have been leading, which is transforming cancer care. Genomics is a fundamental technology that provides answers to the two most common questions patients ask ‘why did this happen to me?’ and ‘what can you do about it?’

“After screening more than 15,000 incurable cancer patients, there’s no question that precision oncology can significantly extend life for one in three cancer patients. I am proud to see the growth of Omico’s national clinical trial network from eight cancer centres at conception in 2018, to 61 centres across Australia and New Zealand today.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns, Minister for Health Ryan Park and Minister for Medical Research David Harris also presented seven other prestigious awards, celebrating the individuals and teams working to improve cancer outcomes in NSW, at the event in the NSW Parliament.

• Outstanding Mid-Career Researcher - Associate Professor Nicolas Hart, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Research Fellow in Cancer Survivorship at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), for enhancing patient safety and quality of care for individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in cancer care.

• Outstanding Early Career Researcher - Dr Ashfaq Chauhan, a postdoctoral research fellow and coordinator of the Healthcare Engagement and Equity Research stream within the Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation at Macquarie University, for enhancing patient safety and quality of care for individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in cancer care.

• Rising Star PhD Candidate - Dr Robert Rawson, Tissue Pathology Staff Specialist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for his innovative research focused on assessing the pathological response to neoadjuvant therapy in melanoma.

• Outstanding Cancer Clinical Trials Unit - The Clinical Trials Unit at Melanoma Institute Australia, for its investigator-led trials, and leading the way in advancing melanoma and non-melanoma research, enrolling around 400 patients annually in diverse clinical trials.

• Cancer Control Innovation –The Zero Childhood Cancer Program team, for demonstrating unprecedented collaboration, bringing together clinicians from child cancer treatment centres across the country and leading national research partners to deliver Australia’s first precision medicine program for children with cancer.

• Improving Equitable Outcomes – Associate Professor Mei Ling Yap, radiation oncologist and clinician researcher at South Western Sydney Local Health District, The George Institute for Global Health and the Ingham Institute at UNSW, for her dedication to achieving equity in cancer control both locally and globally through increasing access to radiation therapy. 

• Consumer Engagement in Cancer Research – awarded to Lucy Jones, CEO Neuroblastoma Australia and consumer advocate passionate about advancing neuroblastoma research, for working tirelessly to raise awareness of the disease and fund research aimed at creating more targeted, effective, and less toxic treatments.

(Prof David Thomas centre with the other award winners. Photo: supplied)

Each winner also received funding towards their research as part of their prize.

The NSW Government, through the Cancer Institute NSW, has awarded more than $324 million in cancer research over the last decade.

For more detailed information on award recipients, visit https://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/what-we-do/events/nsw-premier-s-awards-for-outstanding-cancer-resear/2024

Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales said, “NSW is a global leader in cancer research.

”We’re committed to continuing to invest in research to improve our understanding of a disease which devastates communities across our state.

“On behalf of the people of NSW, I’d like to thank the award winners and our incredible cancer research community, for working together to better understand and treat this insidious disease.”

Ryan Park, Minister for Health said, “With one person in NSW diagnosed with cancer around every 10 minutes, almost all of us will feel the impact of this disease during our lifetime.

“Better understanding and treatment of cancer would be impossible without people like Professor Thomas and I’d like to thank him and everyone working across NSW who help reduce the impact of cancer.”

David Harris, Minister for Medical Research said, “For people with cancer, research and clinical trials provide options and hope.

“NSW has some of the best cancer survival rates in the world and our well established research pipeline and overall excellence in cancer research is a key reason for these outcomes.”

Professor Tracey O’Brien, NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of Cancer Institute NSW said, “Cancer is a global health challenge and while significant progress has been made in our understanding of cancer, it remains the leading cause of death in NSW, with sadly one in two people set to be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. 

“Research and innovation is key to unlocking the answers we are all searching for and I’d like to congratulate and thank the incredibly passionate, talented and collaborative research teams in NSW who are working tirelessly to save lives and keep families and communities safe and supported.”