In 2016, Katharine Giles was warned against attempting to build medical device company OncoRes in Western Australia, where investors preferred to gamble on mining ventures, and told she would need to look interstate or overseas for capital and long-term viability.

Dr Giles had watched other med-tech companies up and leave WA in search of funding, taking with them invaluable, home-grown research and ultimately denying the local market early access to cutting-edge technology and clinical trials.