Dr Heloisa Zaccaron Milioli
Dr Heloisa Milioli is a Senior Research Officer in Christine Chaffer’s Laboratory at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. She integrates molecular biology and computational approaches to investigate the complex mechanisms driving breast cancer development, progression and metastasis. Her research focuses on non-genetic mechanisms governing cell state plasticity and therapy resistance. Her work has been supported by Cancer Institute NSW (2018–2020, Early Career Fellowship), Cancer Council NSW (2023–2026), Tour de Cure (2024) and others. Her research on the context-dependent role of the androgen receptor (AR) in both primary and resistant breast cancer—published in Nature Medicine, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology and MedRxiv—has helped shape ongoing clinical trials (NCT02463032, NCT04947189), underscoring her commitment to improving outcomes for cancer patients in Australia and worldwide.
* Eligible to supervise Honours, Master and PhD students.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
2024 - Tour de Cure (CI, AUD $50,000): Exploiting mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance: new strategies to cure cancer
2023-2025 - Cancer Council NSW (CI, AUD $370,000): Targeting cellular plasticity to prevent and treat chemotherapy-resistant disease
2020 - Cancer Clinical Academic Group E/MCR Seed Grant Scheme (AI, AUD $50,000): Targeting FGF fusions in previously untreatable cancers: A new OMICS approach for personalised cancer medicine
2019-2020 - National Breast Cancer Foundation (CI-B, AUD $200,000): Targeting the p53 pathway in the age of CDK4/6 inhibitor resistant ER positive breast cancer
2019-2021 - National Breast Cancer Foundation (AI, AUD $600,000): Therapeutic targeting of dual CDK4/6 inhibitor and endocrine resistant breast cancer
2018-2020 - Cancer Institute NSW - Early Career Fellowship (CI, AUD $600,000): Expanding the repertoire of therapies targeting sex steroid receptors in breast cancer
- 2024 - St Vincent’s Research Week - Best Poster Award (EMCR). Sydney NSW - Australia
- 2022 - Estee Lauder Breast Cancer Award (AUD $10 - 000). Sydney NSW - Australia
- 2018 - Garvan Institute of Medical Research Travel Grant (AUD $1 - 000). EMCR Forum 2018. Sydney NSW - Australia
- 2016 - EMBL Australia PhD Travel Grant (AUD $3 - 000) - 18th EMBL PhD Symposium in Heildeberg - Germany. Australia
- 2016 - Young Scientist Award - 2nd World Congress on Controversies in Breast Cancer (CoBrCA). Barcelona - Spain
- 2015 - Bioinfosummer 2015 Travel Bursary (AUD $500) - Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) - Australia
- 2015 - BioInfoSummer 2015 - Best Poster Award. Sydney NSW - Australia
- 2015 - Hunter Cancer Research Alliance (HCRA) PhD RESEARCH AWARD 2016 (AUD $5 - 000). Newcastle NSW - Australia
- 2015 - Hunter Cancer Research Alliance (HCRA) Travel Grant (AUD $1 - 000). Newcastle NSW - Australia
- 2014 - BioInfoSummer 2014 - Best Poster Presentation. Melbourne VIC - Australia
- 2014 - International Conference on Bioinformatics (InCoB) - Best Poster Award. Sydney NSW - Australia
- 2014 - JENNIE THOMAS MEDICAL RESEARCH Travel Grant (AUD $10 - 000) - Hunter Medical Research Institute. Newcastle NSW - Australia