UniSA 2021 Donor Impact Report - Flipbook - Page 10
Support for cutting-edge
cancer research
Chris “Critter” Adams’ life was taken far too early,
at the age of 26, by a rare grade-three anaplastic
astrocytoma brain tumour in November 2015.
“'Strong Enough to Live’ just speaks so
highly of what Critter represented and
believed so much – not just about his
battle with cancer – but who he was as a
person, and the idea that you were given
this life because you are strong enough to
live it,” Chris' brother Russell said at a recent
ceremony to present the 2021 Chris Adams
UniSA Research Grant to Erica.
Chris Adams’
brother, mother,
father, sistersin-law, niece
and nephews at
the 2021 Chris
Adams UniSA
Research Grant
presentation with
researcher Erica
Yeo (third from
left).
10
His family has been dedicated to honouring
his memory and spirit through their ‘Strong
Enough to Live’ (SETL) campaign, funding
vital research into brain cancer through the
NeuroSurgical Research Foundation (NRF)
and UniSA researchers.
Thanks to SETL, UniSA PhD Candidate Erica
Yeo was the fourth recipient to receive
the Chris Adams UniSA Research Grant.
Erica and her team at the Translational
Oncology Laboratory are working towards
adapting CAR-T cells (made by the genetic
modification of the patient’s immune cells
to precisely target cancer cells) to treat
insidious brain cancers.
Together, we can achieve something remarkable
“His spirit does live on
and we’re so happy to
be able to contribute to
cancer research through
this grant.”
Chris’ brother Russell
The NRF has been supporting the best and
brightest researchers from UniSA for many
years now, and with a further six research
grants awarded in 2021, totaling $221,809,
their support and dedication to cutting-edge
research has resulted in an extraordinary $2
million being donated to the University since
2016.
Thanks to the NRF’s ongoing funding, our
researchers are able to continue their critical
work into improving diagnoses and finding
better treatments for high mortality brain
tumours and neurovascular diseases.