John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Bennelong is the capital of innovation. We have groups, from students to corporations, fighting to understand or change the world to make it a better place every day. I could talk about many locals and the difference they are making to improve our lives, but today I would like to focus on one very special person. I would like to congratulate a local resident of Bennelong who has conducted some extraordinary research into diseases and has been recognised with one of the country's highest prizes. Associate Professor Elizabeth New has pioneered the development of new chemical imaging tools to observe healthy and diseased cells. For this she is the worthy recipient of the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year, a prize which was awarded at the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science in the Great Hall last week. I was very proud to see her there to accept this illustrious award.

Associate Professor New has developed molecules that act as fluorescent sensors emitting light, to make the observation of complex chemical processes within cells possible. This will assist in the identification of potential treatments for diseases associated with ageing, cardiovascular cancer and diabetes, an important breakthrough considering that these diseases affect 50 per cent of the Australian population and contribute to 85 per cent of deaths. The imaging tools are revealing the critical role of copper in metabolic processes, new insights into cisplatin based anticancer drugs, and the study of oxidative stress in cells. Associate Professor New has an outstanding body of work, including 70 referred publications, with more than 50 as first or lead author, nearly 40 invitations to lecture at major conferences, and more than $5 million in research grants and $1.4 million in equipment grants. She is an award-winning teacher and mentor and has donated a significant amount of time to professional science organisations.

I spoke to the associate professor about the use of copper in treating progressively debilitating diseases like Parkinson's and motor neurone disease. My personal interest in this comes from the strange correlation between tennis players and MND. I have lost a number of close friends from this condition and I'm passionate about any steps towards finding a cure. A few years ago, I walked around the electorate raising money for motor neurone disease, and I am heartened by reports that copper is being used in a manner to slow the spread of this condition. From a personal as well as a professional perspective, I cannot thank the associate professor enough for the research that she is doing in making our lives better.