New NBCF Pink Sky Grant to Drive Breakthrough Research into Breast Cancer Spread and Muscle Wasting
Prof Paul Gregorevic (Dept of Anatomy & Physiology) has been announced as one of the inaugural recipients of the NBCF's new Pink Sky Grant Scheme, a major funding initiative supporting innovative breast cancer research.
The grant forms part of National Breast Cancer Foundation's (NBCF) inaugural Pink Sky Grant Scheme, which will invest nearly $6 million into high-potential research projects across Australia. The initiative is designed to support ambitious ideas that could transform the future of breast cancer prevention, detection and treatment.
Funded by the Mother’s Day Classic Foundation, Professor Gregorevic’s Pink Sky Grant project will investigate a promising new therapy aimed at tackling two of the most challenging aspects of advanced breast cancer: metastasis and cancer-associated muscle wasting.
The research will explore whether a drug originally developed for wound healing can help reduce the spread of breast cancer while protecting patients from muscle wasting, a debilitating condition that can significantly affect quality of life and treatment outcomes. By enhancing the body’s natural protective processes, the project has the potential to improve survival, treatment tolerance and overall wellbeing for people living with breast cancer.
In previous research, Prof Paul Gregorevic and his team uncovered biological mechanisms that help protect the body against both metastasis and cachexia. These protective mechanisms are linked to a natural signalling pathway in the body called Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signalling, which plays a role in regulating how cells function and communicate with each other.
Professor Gregorevic’s project represents the type of groundbreaking research the scheme was created to support, offering new hope for people affected by breast cancer and highlighting the importance of continued investment in world-class research.
This article was originally published by the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) on 27 August 2026.