The Foundation awarded the 2026 BGRF Emerging Researcher of the Year to Dr Aaron K Wong for his world-first discovery of genetic biomarkers for personalised cancer pain treatment – a landmark contribution that has already begun reshaping clinical thinking in this field

A dual-trained medical oncologist and palliative care physician, Dr Wong, who only completed his PhD in 2024, has rapidly established a national and internation reputation in pharmacogenomics, the way in which individual genetics affects their response to drugs in cancer pain. His standing is reflected in his current appointments: Palliative Care Clinical Trials Lead (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital); Discovery Partnership Research Fellow (Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation); Robert Maple-Brown Research Fellow (Royal Australasian College of Physicians); Postdoctoral Genomics Research Fellow (The Advanced Genomic Collaboration, UoM); and Deputy Chair of the National Cancer Symptom Trials Scientific Advisory Committee.

A defining achievement of Dr Wong’s early career is his leadership in establishing the world’s first multicentre longitudinal Opioid Pharmacogenomic Registry for cancer pain. Establishing the workflows, infrastructure, and analytic pathways underpinning this registry required exceptional initiative, scientific acumen, and the ability to forge new collaborations between laboratory scientists, clinical trialists and frontline clinicians.

At the BGRF special event Dr Wong’s mentor, Professor Jennifer Philip, highlighted both the originality of his research and the leadership qualities that distinguish him among his peers.  Having already attracted nearly $6 million in funding and with 41 publications in leading journals and 51 oral presentations at national and international conferences, Dr Wong is driving the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinically actionable strategies for individualised opioid therapy. His ability to translate complex genomic science for clinical audiences is a rare and valuable skill that he has demonstrated repeatedly in both academic and clinical settings.