3:00p.m. 20th November 2008

| By Blythe Seinor

Elke Hacker says growing up on the Sunshine Coast and spending a lot of time in the sun gave her the inspiration for her groundbreaking research into skin cancer. Photo: Warren Lynam/179522

Ever heard of a super sunscreen?

A cream that could be applied after you had been sunburnt to not only soothe the skin but also heal the cells and prevent skin cancer?

It doesn't exist. Yet.

If all goes according to Dr Elke Hacker's plan, it could be on supermarket shelves in a few short years.

The University of the Sunshine Coast science graduate is working on a concept that could eventually reduce the rate of skin cancer in this country.

Dr Hacker's work was considered so significant that she was chosen last night for the 2008 Outstanding Alumni Award from USC.

The 27 year old completed her undergraduate degree at USC in 2002 before undertaking an honours year in 2003, and finally moving to the University of Queensland to work on her PhD.

Her research has also taken her to renowned institutions such as Yale and Harvard universities in the United States and the Marie Curie Research Institute in London.

Dr Hacker said she was humbled to receive the award.

"I didn't think anyone was watching my career and I find it sometimes nothing special, so I was quite surprised.

"When you do it every day it becomes part of your usual business, the same as anyone else going to work."

She admitted, however, that whenever she told anyone about her work in skin cancer prevention, the topic was always met with keen interest.

Dr Hacker, a keen sailor, said the idea for a "super sunscreen" first came to her after a few too many sunburns on Lake Cootharaba.

"When you're sailing for eight hours straight there's not much you can do in regards to keeping yourself out of the sun," she said.

"Despite all the preventative measures when the exposure is for so long (sunburn) happens and what can you do about it?

"You might have a cold shower, you might put lotions on it, but you're not doing anything else to the cells that are damaged."

Dr Hacker said the cream would contain active compounds that would prevent melanoma development.

She said the researchers were also looking at putting DNA repair enzymes into the sunscreen, antioxidant compounds and cell cycle inhibitors to stop skin cancer cells from developing.

"We aim to develop lotions that prevent the initiation of melanocytes (cells found in the skin) into early stage cancerous cells, because prevention is the best cure for melanoma."

The Cancer Council Queensland says that one in two Australians will develop some form of skin cancer during their lifetime - the highest rate in the world.

In Queensland, roughly one person in 19 will get a melanoma in their lifetime and around 2500 Queenslanders develop melanoma each year.