How early support helped Dr Emily Gruber’s blood cancer research reach the global stage
By Alexandra Lapa | 3 Feb 2026
Australian cancer researcher Dr Emily Gruber has reached a major career milestone, with her research into blood cancer published in Cell, one of the world’s leading scientific journals.
For Cure Cancer supporters, this achievement reflects something deeply important. It shows how early support for emerging researchers can lead to discoveries recognised at the highest international level, and with real potential to improve outcomes for patients.
Advancing research into blood cancer and acute myeloid leukaemia
Dr Gruber’s research focuses on acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), an aggressive blood cancer that remains extremely difficult to treat, particularly when standard therapies stop working.
Her team discovered that AML cells are especially vulnerable when a process they rely on for survival is disrupted. When this happens, the cancer cells die in a way that is different from how current cancer drugs work.
Rather than replacing today’s treatments, this research opens the door to new possibilities that could one day expand the options available to patients.
As Dr Gruber explains: “We believe that our research will provide the foundations to develop new therapies to treat AML.”
She adds that this discovery could be especially important for people whose cancer no longer responds to existing treatments. “We believe that AML patients resistant to current treatments will still be sensitive to this approach.”
Why understanding leukaemia biology matters
Despite advances in treatment, there is still much scientists do not fully understand about how leukaemia develops, survives, and resists therapy.
“There is still so much we don’t know about leukaemia biology," Dr Gruber emphasises.
She explains that answering these fundamental questions is essential for progress. “A deeper understanding of leukaemia biology will help identify new therapeutic avenues and biomarkers to improve patient outcomes.”
This type of research may not translate into treatments immediately, but it is the work that makes future advances possible.
Why early-stage research is where progress begins
When this project began, it was not known whether the research would lead to findings that could ultimately matter for patients.
“Early in this project, the biggest uncertainties would have been whether this research was going to yield anything of clinical significance," Dr Gruber reflects
That uncertainty is not unusual in early-stage cancer research. Before discoveries can shape patient care, researchers must be given the opportunity to explore new ideas and test approaches that have not yet been proven.
The publication of this work in Cell represents years of sustained effort, collaboration across institutions, and early belief in the science.
“This project represents many years of hard work, significant intra- and inter-institutional collaborations and generous funding from organisations such as Cure Cancer,” says Dr Gruber. “Without this early support, we wouldn’t have generated such significant findings that have the real potential to improve outcomes for patients living with AML.”
“The funding from Cure Cancer provided very clear short-term goals and helped prioritise key experiments."
This combination of early support, focus, and collaboration is what allows promising ideas to develop into discoveries recognised on the global stage.
Backing the ideas that shape the future
Dr Emily Gruber’s work is a clear example of why early support matters.
By backing emerging researchers and their ideas at the earliest stages, Cure Cancer helps create the conditions for discoveries that can change how cancer is treated and prevented in the future.
Because progress depends on what we choose to support today.
What if the next breakthrough just needs you?
