Labor is backing Victoria’s best medical researchers to beat childhood cancer.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Medical Research Ben Carroll announced three top Victorian researchers have been awarded Children’s Cancer CoLab Future Leaders Fellowships.

They will share in more than $1.3 million to develop treatments for hard-to-treat childhood cancers.

Dr Claire Sun from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research uses AI to understand childhood brain tumours.

She will be supported to develop targeted drugs and help doctors identify the right treatments for each child.

Dr Zoe Day from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) is leading research into a childhood brain cancer with a survival rate of less than a year.

Labor will help fund her work to combine immunotherapy treatments with drugs to target brain tumours, reducing the frequency and length of treatment for children.

Dr Stacie Wang from The Royal Children’s Hospital and WEHI is developing Victoria’s first clinical trial of a new therapy for children with brain cancer.

Every year, more than 1,000 children and adolescents in Australia are diagnosed with cancer.

New treatments are improving survival rates, but up to 80% of survivors live with ongoing health challenges.

Labor’s $35 million investment in Children’s Cancer CoLab is driving research to tackle childhood cancer.

This cutting-edge research was boosted by a further $10 million from the Children’s Cancer Foundation.

Labor has invested more than $1.1 billion in medical research, supporting breakthroughs in treatment and care.