The HBF Run for a Reason is happening on 19 May, with participants raising vital funds for the charity of their choice. Associate Professor Yu Suk Choi, a cancer researcher from the School of Human Sciences at the University of Western Australia, is one of these participants who will be joining the run and completing a half marathon.
Dr Choi and his team are investigating the role of tissue stiffness in breast cancer cells. Once they understand the role of tissue stiffness in breast cancer cells and immune cells, they will test softening tissue as a therapy option to enhance immunotherapy. If successful, this could lead to a promising new therapy option.
Thanks to our generous supporters, we have been able to help fund Dr Choi's research, with a Research Project Grant in 2023. He shares that this support is one of the reasons he wanted to join the Cancer Council WA team and help raise funds for other researchers like himself to find new therapies.
"Inspired by collaborators, Jennifer Young, Andrew Holle and Peter Noble, I started running casually in February 2023 and participating in one of the running events had always been on my radar. It was almost an automatic "yes" when the opportunity arose to run for Cancer Council WA in the HBF Run for a Reason."
He adds that a personal reason for doing the run is in memory of his father-in-law who passed away from colon cancer last year.
"I considered myself fortunate that none of my immediate family members had received a cancer diagnosis until May 2022, when my father-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Tragically, he passed away in September 2023 due to liver failure."
"I would love to see the funds raised directed towards fundamental research aimed at discovering new therapies for cancer patients."
A huge thank you to Associate Professor Choi for participating in the HBF Run for a Reason as well as his ongoing work in cancer research.
