05/06/2026

Dr Brendan Luu, a Resident Medical Officer at Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Hospital Group, has been awarded a $30,000 Ray Florence Shaw Grant in 2025 to investigate whether changes in the retina's blood vessels can reveal the presence of cancer elsewhere in the body.

The grant is supporting pioneering work that could transform how cancer is detected, potentially allowing clinicians to identify signs of disease through a simple scan of the eye.

The retina contains one of the body's most intricate networks of blood vessels and it offers a unique window into a person's overall health. Dr Luu's research aims to determine whether cancer causes detectable changes to these microscopic vessels, and ultimately whether their identification could be leveraged into an early screening tool.

The project will begin with the microscopic examination of donor eye tissue from individuals who passed away from cancer. By studying these samples, Dr Luu hopes to establish definitive evidence of cancer-related retinal blood vessel changes and create a foundation for future clinical research.

“Findings from this research will establish a ground-truth of cancer-induced retinal blood vessel changes,” Dr Luu said.

Once these changes have been identified, the next phase of the research will involve validating the findings using existing high-resolution ocular imaging technologies. These advanced imaging systems already allow clinicians to non-invasively visualise the retina's microscopic blood vessels in real time, creating a potential pathway for the translation of laboratory-based research into impactful clinical practice.

If successful, the research could lead to the development of a completely new approach to cancer screening—one that is non-invasive, easily accessible and potentially capable of identifying cancers elsewhere in the body before the onset of detrimental symptoms.

“In theory, this will pave the way for the development of a novel multicancer screening modality,” Dr Luu said.

“A simple scan of an individual's retinal blood vessels could flag potential cancers developing elsewhere in the body.”

Current cancer screening and diagnostic pathways can often be invasive, expensive and difficult to access. Dr Luu believes this research represents an important first step towards developing more patient-friendly methods of detecting disease.

“Cancer screening is an area where better solutions are needed, and this grant has given me the freedom to pursue this work in a meaningful way,” he said.

The project highlights the critical role philanthropic funding in driving medical innovation. Through the support of our generous donors, the Charlies Foundation for Research is helping researchers pursue bold ideas with the potential to improve health outcomes for future generations.

The Ray Florence Shaw Grant specifically supports innovative research in ophthalmology and cardiovascular health, providing emerging researchers with the opportunity to explore new ideas and advance discoveries that can ultimately benefit patients, families and the wider community.