Dr Sarah Diermeier's enthusiasm for finding out how an unexplored class of molecules influence breast cancer has been backed by the Cancer Society.
The Society is an important source of cancer research funding in New Zealand, and is providing Dr Diermeier with nearly $200 000 to pursue this promising line of research.
Originally from Germany, Dr Diermeier only joined the Department of Biochemistry at the beginning of this year, after completing postdoctoral research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, in the USA.
She is interested in long non-coding RNAs, poorly understood molecules that help turn genes on and off in cells.
Having already shown that one of these RNAs is more active in breast cancer cells than normal breast cells, Dr Diermeier and her team think that it may help tumours to spread to other parts of the body, such as the brain, bone, lungs and liver.
They will carry out various experiments to gain a better understanding of how the molecule can affect the spread of cancer, including looking at the effects of removing it from breast cancer cells.