Nigel McMillan

Prof McMillan is a cancer researcher interested in the infectious causes of cancer. Nearly ⅓ of all cancers are caused by viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms. He is an internationally recognised expert in the area of human papillomavirus, gene editing and gene silencing. He has over 90 publications and has had continuous NHRMC funding for 22 years. He has graduated over 40 Masters or Honours students and 22 PhD students.

Research findings
- discovery of the receptor for the human papillomavirus
- discovered how HPV signals cells to replicate better
- found 3 new papillomaviruses in Australian wildlife, including one in echidnas
- found HPV is present in normal blood, explaining why researchers find it in lots of cancers
- developed novel liposomes for drug delivery
- showed silencing of the HPV E7 gene caused tumours to shrink
- first to show cancer can be eliminated completely using CRISPR.