Meet breast cancer researcher Professor Steven Stacker: “I was always interested in answering difficult questions”

Words by Sylvia Lee

NBCF-funded breast cancer researcher Professor Steven Stacker. Image: Supplied

Professor Steven Stacker, a researcher funded by the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF), has always been fascinated by biology and science – and the difficult questions that scientists like him must endeavour to answer.  

For over 40 years, he has spent long hours in the lab to answer key questions about human disease by investigating how cancer spreads and becomes resistant to treatment.  

“Seeing colleagues and family affected by cancer reinforces the importance of the work,” he says. 

In his first-ever NBCF grant, Professor Stacker and his team at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre aim to develop new treatments that prevent breast cancer recurrence by targeting a small group of cancer cells that can survive chemotherapy. 

“Our research enables a novel way to approach the issue of drug resistance. It is important as the reason most if not all therapies ultimately fail is because tumour cells have the ability to change their physical and molecular features to avoid being killed by existing therapies,” he explains. 

“This NBCF grant provides specific funding to address novel questions about breast cancer that have not been previously addressed, providing new avenues for recurrence prevention.” 

When he isn’t in the lab, Professor Stacker dedicates his time to collecting and preserving old sports and trading cards that carry historical echoes of sports, history and science.