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Professor Martina Stenzel.
Photo: Supplied.
From nano-sized things
UNSW scientist the first woman honoured
with top chemistry prize.
I
n a coup for female scientists, UNSW’s Professor Martina
Stenzel is the first woman to receive the Royal Society of NSW’s
Liversidge Medal, a prestigious chemistry prize.
Stenzel is a world expert in new polymer architectures used to
create “smart nanoparticles”. These will potentially revolutionise the
way diseases such as cancer are targeted and treated.
The focus of Stenzel’s work is understanding the fundamentals
of nanoparticle design, a technology suitable for the delivery
of proteins, DNA and metal-based drugs to treat ovarian and
pancreatic cancer in particular.
“The beautiful thing about nanoparticles is that they can be
modified in endless ways,” Stenzel said.
“We are trying to better understand the physical properties
of these drug-loaded nanoparticles, as it is directly linked to the
Professor Peter Ridd.
Photo: Cameron Laird
‘We must fight again’
Ridd vows to continue legal battle
after JCU lodges appeal.
J
ames Cook University has decided to appeal a Federal Circuit
Court decision that would see the university pay $1.2 million
in compensation to sacked professor Peter Ridd.
4
biological activity. The aim is to create nanoparticles with the right
properties that can invade cancer cells but not attack healthy cells.”
The preeminent scientist is co-director at UNSW’s Centre
for Advanced Macromolecular Design, and leads a team of 20
researchers working “to combine synthetic polymers with nature’s
building blocks such as carbohydrates, peptides and proteins”.
Ultimately, the researchers are focused on the “intersection of
polymer science nanoparticle design and medicine”.
Recognised as Australia’s top chemistry prize, the Liversidge
Medal was inaugurated in 1931 and honours Australia’s best
scientists for their contributions to chemistry research. The medal
is awarded every two years, based on recommendations from the
Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
“The Liversidge Medal is such an established prize, and it is
truly wonderful to be recognised by this enduring and respected
scientific academy,” Stenzel said.
“I hope it will encourage more women to enter the fields
of chemistry and physics, two natural sciences where female
scientists have traditionally been very few and far between.”
One of the most exciting aspects of Stenzel’s research is the wide
application of nanoparticles to treat disease.
While they are most commonly associated with cancer
treatment, the potential exists for nanoparticles to be used to treat
other diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and
infectious diseases.
Stenzel will deliver the Liversidge Lecture in 2020 and it will be
published in the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of
New South Wales. ■
As a result, Ridd took to his GoFundMe page to raise money to
cover legal costs to continue his battle.
“We must fight again and will need about $1.5 million to take this
as far as the High Court if necessary,” Ridd said to supporters.
“I have little doubt that we will win.”
Since this announcement on his GoFundMe page, Ridd has
raised about $80,000 on top of the $260,000 already donated to
fund his original court case.
In mid-April, Federal Circuit Court judge Salvatore Vasta ruled that
JCU’s termination of Ridd’s employment was unlawful.
After the decision was handed down, JCU provost Professor
Chris Cocklin said the university disagreed with the judgement
and “maintain we have not taken issue with Dr Ridd’s nor any other
employee’s rights to academic freedom”.
Cocklin said JCU was troubled by the fact that the judge failed
“to refer to any legal precedent or case law in Australia to support
his interpretation of our enterprise agreement, or academic
freedom in Australian employment law”.
Earlier this month, Vasta ordered JCU to pay $1.2 million in
penalties and compensation to Ridd.
On hearing that JCU was appealing, Ridd said he and partner
Cheryl considered “just walking away”.
“After all, why should I ask donors for $1.5 million to fight a
pointless battle that the state or federal education ministers could
settle with a phone call to JCU?
“Your donation, great or small, will not just help me fund
this essential battle, it will also send a powerful message to
governments about what the public expect of our universities,”
he said on the web page. ■