A PRIMITIVE sea-dweller might not seem like it could prevent cancer, but it could hold the secrets to stopping a myriad of health problems long before they begin.
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Elite wheelchair basketball player and newly-graduated La Trobe University student Bree Mellberg is about to start a PhD exploring how cells know which way is up and down, and what happens when they forget.
When cells are not working properly they can cause everything from wrinkles to cancer, she said.
"We want to understand those (cell) processes better so that we can be more effective preventing human disease."
"There is so much work that is done into the next drug, the next way to heal someone. My belief is that we need to be looking at preventative medicine," she said.
It was possible new treatments for illnesses could be found as well, Ms Mellberg said.
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Ms Mellberg's research will focus on a primitive organism called a trichoplax. The organism has cells similar to those found in humans.
"We are still unsure of the little gems this organism can hold, and that is what is exciting," she said.
The research will be part of a partnership between La Trobe and German university TiHo Hannover.
The PhD is not the only challenge on Ms Mellberg's horizon. So is the Kilsyth Cobra's first game of the season and a looming national team showdown with the United states.
"It will be quite a juggling act. I start national league in two weeks time in Perth. The Australian Gliders are preparing for the US visit in June," she said.
"That will be our first real challenge after our restructure. We have six new players on board, which is really exciting."
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"So it will be very, very challenging and will be great in the lead up to Olympic qualifiers in October.
"The best thing you can be doing at this point is competing against the best of the best of them."
Ms Mellberg had honed tricks for juggling sporting and research commitments during her bachelor of biomedical sciences (honours).
"It's a lot of time management, communication and working with the uni," she said.
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Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
