Associate Professor Belamy Cheung

Associate Professor Belamy Cheung is an internationally recognised leader in childhood cancer research, specialising in the molecular mechanisms of MYC-driven cancers and the development of novel targeted therapies. She completed her medical training at Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Science, Guangzhou, and earned her PhD at the Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney. She is currently a Principal Scientist at the Children's Cancer Institute Australia and a Conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW Sydney, where she co-leads the Embryonal Cancer Therapy and Prevention Group alongside Professor Glenn Marshall.

A/Prof Cheung’s research program focuses on two key areas: (1) dissecting oncogenic signalling pathways regulated by MYC and MYCN in paediatric and adult cancers, and (2) developing first-in-class small-molecule inhibitors and rational drug combinations that overcome therapy resistance. Her work integrates functional genomics, single-cell RNA sequencing, drug discovery, and translational research to develop biomarker-guided therapeutic strategies. She is particularly interested in mechanisms of chemoresistance and relapse, with a vision to personalise therapy prior to clinical disease progression.

Over her career, A/Prof Cheung has led more than 40 research projects supported by over AUD $6 million in competitive funding, including major grants from the NHMRC, Cancer Council NSW, and Tour de Cure. She has published more than 78 peer-reviewed articles in top-ranked journals such as Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Cancer, and Science Translational Medicine, with over 3,500 citations. Her contributions to research training are equally significant, having supervised more than 50 Honours and PhD students at UNSW Sydney. She also plays active roles in scientific conference organisations, editorial boards, and professional committees, contributing to the global advancement of paediatric oncology research.