Biography

Associate Professor Kara Vine-Perrow is a Cancer Institute NSW Career Development Fellow and leads the Targeted Cancer Therapeutics Research Laboratory at the University of Wollongong, Australia. She earned her PhD in cancer cell biology in 2007 and received international training in cancer biology and metastasis at the Finsen Laboratory in Denmark. Upon returning to Australia, she established her lab at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute.

A/Prof Vine-Perrow's research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer and developing novel nanomedicines and polymeric scaffolds for site-specific drug delivery, with a particular focus on inoperable pancreatic cancer and motor neuron disease. With over 18 years of experience in preclinical drug development, delivery, and commercialization, she has authored more than 60 highly cited publications in leading international journals and is the lead inventor on 5 patents. Her research has been supported by philanthropic, national, and international funding, including grants from the NHMRC, Cancer Australia, and the US Department of Defense.

Her contributions have been recognised with several awards and prizes, including the Dr. Margaret Gardiner Medical Research Scholarship and the Dame Bridget Ogilvie Research Excellence Award. A/Prof Vine-Perrow served as President of the Australian Chapter of the Controlled Release Society from 2021-2023 and has made significant contributions to drug delivery science both in Australia and internationally.