CTICC

"Without your family behind you, it would be difficult co achieve yoar full porentia~" she reiterated. "After all, research and academia are nor 9 co 5 jobs. It is a job for life, which requires dedication and commiunent".

She also credits her parents, .her sister and brother-in-law and a very tight- knit group of friends for her successes

Dr Apte strayed inm pancreatic smdies quire by accident. An a lllllll1us of BJ Medical College in Poona wid1 an interesrin E T, she first accived in Australia on a dependem spouse visa in the eighties.

"My visa did not permit me co work, so l volunteered in the Hismpadiology depamnenr at Newcastle University. where my husband was pursuing his doctorate io Chemical

Engineering," s he recalled. She soon began researching alcoholism and liver disease, winning a Commomvealth scho larship for a Masters in Medical Science, and became one of the 1:irst graduates of the programme. She moved co Sydney and eventually found a job ar the Prince of Wales Hospital.

L1 1998, as patt of her PhD thesis tinder mentors Dr Wilson and Dr Pirola, Dr Apte developed her world - first metbod for srellare cell isolation.

"We were the Erst in the world to show that a specific cell type in die pancreas helped pancreatic cancers grow," explained Dr Apte. " lts unique feamre is the huge amount of scar tissue. \'<!e proved d1at cancer cells recruited normal pancreatic stelbte cells to help them grow and travel to distant parts of the body. Our ultiniare aim is to develop new treatments diat target the cross talk between the cells in pancreatic cancer so as co interrupt tl1ese growthpromoting pathways".

The pancreas is a very significant organ in the body

Dr Apte cold Indian U11k.

1\Jong with insulin secretion, it produces crucial digestive enzymes. Before her research, nobody knew v;,hat die mechanisms behind scarring were. ·'Scar tissue is found in pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer and plays ru.1 iniportam role in die progression of bod1 diseases," she explained. Indeed, patients widi chronic pancreacitis have a 15 fold higher risk of developing cancer d1an the normal population, according to Dr Apte.

Unfornu1ately, alcoholism is of Australian society," she to ld l11dia11 Link. "When I came to this cmmrry, knowing no one at all and starting from scratch, 1 never anticipated that 1 would receive such recognition. I am both honoured and hwubled by this award. It shows d1at anyone can be a great engineer and make an effective contribution to Australia".

Having excelled in her calling, Marlene Kanga hopes to inspire man y new generations to take up the challenge.

"The world needs more engineers", she said. "lt is such a dynamic and creative pathway Young people need to understand the importance of science and technology in their lives from a very young age"