A University of Sydney researcher using world-first AI-powered technology to precisely target liver tumours is receiving NSW government funding as part of a $10 million grants program for promising cancer researchers.
Dr Chandrima Sengupta is one of 18 recipients of the Cancer Institute NSW grants to support medical breakthroughs and improve outcomes for people living with cancer across the state.
Dr Sengupta’s team is building a pioneering technology using AI-enhanced techniques and standard radiotherapy equipment to target the radiation beam to liver cancer tumours, with sub-millimetre accuracy.
This revolutionary treatment will reduce radiation to nearby healthy tissue, enabling the use of stronger radiation to stop the tumour spreading to other organs to drastically reduce the average treatment times for patients.
The funding will enable Dr Sengupta and her team to continue their collaboration with radiation oncology experts, industry partners and patients to complete the ground-breaking clinical trial to benefit thousands of NSW cancer patients.
Major investment in research
The NSW government is one of the largest funders of cancer research in NSW, having invested more than $470 million in the past 20 years across nearly 1000 competitive research awards and grants.
The grant recipients received funding across four categories this year. Dr Sengupta was awarded $515,716 as one of 11 Early Career Fellowships who received combined funding of $6.14 million.
The Early Career Fellowships are highly prestigious and competitive awards enabling researchers to lead their own team in the fight against cancer. The remaining three grant categories comprised:
- three Career Development Fellowships
- two Aboriginal Cancer Research Grants
- two Accelerated Research Implementation grants for projects targeting cancer outcomes in rural and regional NSW.
To view all 2024/2025 Cancer Institute NSW grants recipients go here.
Incredible work
Minister for Medical Research David Harris said, ‘NSW medical researchers such as Dr Chandrima Sengupta are doing incredible things with pioneering technology and techniques to reduce the impact of cancer and ultimately save lives.
‘The Minns Labor Government is proud to be supporting researchers and projects designed to deliver better treatments to people with cancer. Our researchers strive every day to improve the lives of people in NSW and beyond and we’re proud to invest in them to continue their work and help improve cancer outcomes for all.’
NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO Cancer Institute NSW, Professor Tracey O’Brien AM said: ‘Our dedicated and inspirational cancer researchers are key to improving our understanding of a disease which touches the lives of so many of us.
‘While significant progress has been made in understanding and treating cancer, it remains the leading cause of death in NSW with sadly one in two people being diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.
‘NSW is recognised as a global leader in tackling cancer with people, communities and organisations coming together to support all impacted people and help rewrite the future of cancer.’
Early Career Fellow Dr Chandrima Sengupta said, ‘The precision of our world-first, AI-enhanced cancer targeting technology will allow us to use stronger radiation to improve tumour control while reducing radiation to surrounding healthy tissues.
‘This will halve treatment-related toxicity while reducing treatment time from more than one hour to as little as fifteen minutes. The grant from Cancer Institute NSW will allow us to start taking our technology to cancer centres across regional and metropolitan NSW, creating a network of sites capable of world-class targeted liver cancer radiation therapy.’
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