Each year, the St George & Sutherland Medical Research Foundation (SSMRF) proudly supports local researchers who are improving health outcomes through innovation, collaboration and community impact.
Our 2025 Research Grants have been awarded to four outstanding researchers based at St George and Sutherland Hospitals, working across diverse fields – from cancer and diabetes to paediatric gut health.
These competitive grants were open to scientific, medical, nursing/midwifery and allied health staff at both hospitals and include Standard Research Grants (up to $50,000) and Early Career Researcher Grants (up to $30,000). Grants are awarded for a 12-month period.
This year’s recipients are:
- Dr Michelle Fitzmaurice – Development and Validation of Glycated Insulin as a Novel Early Biomarker for Gestational Diabetes Risk, awarded $29,983 (Early Career Researcher Grant)
- Dr Joyce Chiu – Targeting Tumour-Derived Redox Enzymes to Boost T-Cell Infiltration and Immunotherapy Success, awarded $50,000 (Cancer Grant, supported by Southern Cancer Care)
- Dr Jennifer Wen Ying Lim – Single-cell RNA Sequencing of Gastro-Entero-Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours: Diagnostic Feasibility and Translational Insights from Core and Fine-Needle Aspirate Biopsies, awarded $25,195.79 (Early Career Researcher Grant)
- Thisun Jayawardana (PhD Student) – St George and Sutherland Understanding of Paediatric Environmental Risk Factors: Knowing IBD Through Diet and Studies of the Microbiome – SUPERKIDS, awarded $30,000 (Early Career Researcher Grant)
Collectively, these studies reflect SSMRF’s mission to support early-stage, high-impact research that translates discovery into better health outcomes for our community.
Read more about our 2025 recipients
Dr Michelle Fitzmaurice
Biochemist and postdoctoral researcher at the Microbiome Research Centre, UNSW
As a biochemist and postdoctoral researcher at the Microbiome Research Centre, UNSW, Dr Michelle Fitzmaurice explores how subtle chemical changes and the microbiome shape metabolic health. Fascinated by the hidden chemistry of disease, she investigates naturally occurring glycated peptides (proteins) that may reveal early shifts in metabolism and risk of diabetes. By combining advanced biochemical tools with clinical collaboration, her work is uncovering new ways to detect disease earlier and improve long-term health outcomes.
Gestational diabetes (GDM), first diagnosed during pregnancy, affects around one in five expectant mothers in Australia. It increases health risks for both the mother (such as high blood pressure and future type 2 diabetes) and the baby, including early delivery and long-term complications. Current diagnosis relies on a fasting oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), which is uncomfortable, time-consuming, and only provides a snapshot in time. OGTT results can also be influenced by recent meals, stress, illness, and laboratory variability.
There is an urgent need for an earlier, more reliable and patient-friendly way to identify women at risk of developing GDM. This project evaluates naturally occurring glycated peptides in the blood, which form when proteins are exposed to glucose over time. These molecules may provide an earlier signal of changes in glucose control than current tests. Using advanced analytical techniques, we will assess whether these peptides can predict who is most likely to develop GDM.
If successful, this could support simpler, earlier and more accessible screening in pregnancy.
Dr Joyce Chiu
Doctor of Philosophy, Senior Research Fellow/Lecturer, St George and Sutherland Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW
As a basic scientist, Dr Joyce Chiu is fascinated about how cells interact with their surroundings – a key to understanding diseases like cancer and heart disease. Using cutting-edge techniques such as mass spectrometry, miniature blood vessel models, and animal studies, she investigates how cells move and respond to stress. Her recent discovery on how blood cells travel is reshaping our understanding of how our body heals and defends itself against disease.
Immunotherapies have transformed the treatment landscape for patients with advanced cancers, providing new hope when other options to control metastasis are exhausted. Despite their success, a substantial portion of patients fail to respond to these therapies, limiting their overall clinical benefit.
The efficacy of immunotherapies depends on successful infiltration of immune cells into the tumour to kill cancer cells. Cancer cells, however, have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to evade immune surveillance and resist attack.
This project will explore a novel concept of how tumour-derived factors actively inhibit immune-cell infiltration in tumours and will define these factors as potential therapeutic targets for drug development. In the long term, new drugs targeting these tumour-derived factors will boost the effectiveness of immunotherapies, thereby improving patient responses to treatment among individuals with advanced cancer.
Dr Jennifer Wen Ying Lim
Medical Oncology Staff Specialist, St George Hospital; Conjoint Senior Lecturer, UNSW
Dr Jennifer Lim specialises in neuroendocrine tumours, genitourinary and head and neck cancers. She recently submitted her PhD using single-cell sequencing methods to predict immunotherapy toxicity at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, where she focused on translating genetic insights into clinical impact.
Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare cancers that can arise in different parts of the digestive system. These tumours can behave very differently from one another, and it is often difficult to accurately determine their type or how aggressive they are.
Doctors rely on a tissue sample (called a biopsy) to make this diagnosis, but these samples are sometimes small or hard to interpret, making treatment decisions challenging. This study aims to explore whether a cutting-edge genetic technology, called single-cell RNA sequencing, can provide more detailed information about these tumours.
This method allows researchers to study thousands of individual cells from a tumour and understand what genes are turned on in each one. This could help identify different types of cells within a tumour – including fast-growing ones – and give greater insight into how the tumour behaves.
Researchers will also test whether a smaller, less invasive sample, such as a fine-needle aspirate, can provide the same high-quality information. If successful, this could make it easier and safer for patients to undergo testing in the future.
This research aims to enhance the diagnosis and understanding of neuroendocrine tumours, enabling doctors to make more personalised treatment decisions. It may also lay the foundation for future studies that use these techniques to better guide care for people living with rare cancers.
Thisun Jayawardana, PhD student
Thisun Jayawardana is a PhD student investigating how inflammatory bowel disease and its treatments influence the gut microbiome. His research aims to translate microbial insights into improved clinical outcomes and quality of life for people living with IBD.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects a growing number of Australian children and can have lasting effects on growth, development, educational outcomes and psychological wellbeing. Australia has one of the highest global incidence rates of IBD, mirrored in our local community. Approximately one in four children seen at the Sydney Children’s Hospital IBD Clinic come from the St George and Sutherland area.
This study aims to understand how diet and the gut microbiome influence IBD in children. Using cutting-edge microbiome and dietary analysis, the project will uncover patterns linked to inflammation and poor health outcomes.
The findings will help identify early warning signs, guide more personalised care, and support prevention strategies to improve the lives of children living with IBD. This is the first study of its kind in Australia and has the potential to inform local clinical care and guide future trials in personalised paediatric medicine.
Supporting the next generation of discovery
For more than 18 years, SSMRF has proudly funded early-stage research that leads to better health outcomes for our community. Each grant represents a step forward – a chance to test new ideas, collect data, and build the foundation for future breakthroughs.
To everyone who donates, participates in events, or contributes through Recycle 4 Research, thank you. Your support makes this vital research possible. Support local research. Donate today.
