The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research in conjunction with Open House Perth is putting out the welcome mat and inviting the community inside to experience the life of a researcher at their Nedlands facility on the QEII Campus.
‘Discover the Perkins’, on Saturday November 16 runs from 10am – 3.30pm.
Come and hear from leading scientists about how they are tackling the major diseases affecting our community, take tours of laboratories, speed date a researcher and take a virtual reality tour of a cell.
Presentations, workshops, lab tours and activities in the Biodiscovery lab will be running all day.
Speak to the team that’s developed a device that helps breast surgeons detect cancer cells. Find out about WA’s leading clinical trials unit where new drugs and treatments from around the world get tested for the first time in humans. Speak to the service that brings together experts in Melanoma to give the best treatment advice for people with the deadly skin cancer.
Director of the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research Professor Peter Leedman will give the first presentation of the day at 10.10am, describing some of the remarkable discoveries made at the Institute in its 21 years.
“When we open our doors to the public, we find people really want to hear about the research done right here in Perth, they want to know what’s changing in cancer treatments or heart disease research or about the genetic discoveries which are making big differences for families at risk of having a child with a debilitating disease,” said Professor Peter Leedman.
“What is exciting for us is that there are a lot of good stories to tell. Survival rates from breast cancer or melanoma, for example, are definitely increasing and the work of our scientists is very much a part of that trend.
“Perkins researchers have made major discoveries in the field of cancer including uncovering the gene that controls hormone production in breast and prostate cancers, the discovery of a tumour suppressor gene and of a process for normalising blood vessels in tumours to allow more effective absorption of cancer-combating drugs.
Register at https://community.perkins.org.au/discover-the-perkins for this free event at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, 6 Verdun St Nedlands, parking off Monash Ave, Hampden Road corner.
