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A pod of whales stranded on a West Australian beach have had to be euthanised after efforts to lead the mammals back into deeper waters failed.

Fifty-two whales initially died during a mass stranding event on Cheynes Beach, 60 kilometres east of Albany in the state's south, on Wednesday.

Later volunteers and wildlife agency staff tried to guide the remaining 45 whales further away from the shore but they kept returning to the beach shallows.

"Sadly, the decision had to be made to euthanise the remaining whales to avoid prolonging their suffering," WA Parks and Wildlife said on Wednesday night.

"It was a difficult decision for all involved however the welfare of the whales had to take precedence."

The agency thanked everyone - including hundreds of volunteers with small vessels and surf skis - who had helped with the attempt to save the whales over the past two days.

Earlier on Wednesday, some of the whales guided back out into deeper waters re-stranded further along the beach where veterinarians began assessing their condition.

The pod of 97 long-finned pilot whales was spotted swimming perilously close to Cheynes Beach on Tuesday afternoon before a number began beaching themselves.

Wildlife experts speculated the unusual behaviour could be an indicator of stress or illness within the pod.

Macquarie University wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta said the reason the whales stranded themselves was a mystery.

"The fact they were in one area, very huddled and doing really interesting behaviours and looking around at times suggests something else is going on that we just don't know," she told AAP.

A whale might have been sick or the pod might have become disorientated but it was unlikely they were trying to avoid predators, Dr Pirotta said.

Pilot whales are highly social animals and maintain complex familial relationships with their pods from birth.

© AAP 2023

The lives of thousands of Australians battling incurable or advanced cancers could be saved or extended thanks to a pioneering national genomics initiative.

More than 23,000 Australians living with cancer will be given free access to cutting-edge genomic profiling, with their results clinically assessed by an expert team and matched to personalised treatments including early-stage clinical trials.

The Prospect initiative - or Precision Oncology Screening Platform Enabling Clinical Trials - marks the nation's largest cancer genomics program.

Led by the University of NSW-based Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre, it will collaborate with other research centres and treatment services across Australia.

David Thomas, head of genomic cancer medicine at the Garvan Institute and project lead, said the program will fast-track patients to personalised cancer treatments.

"Genomic medicine allows us to look at the genetics of a person's cancer, rather than treating it based on location," Professor Thomas said.

"This allows us to understand inherited cancer risk and find more effective treatments for people with cancer."

It is hoped to generate 650 high-skilled local jobs, a $525 million investment in local clinical trials and $135m in savings to the national health system.

The project will also open up new treatment paths for people across Australia with difficult to treat cancers including ovarian and pancreatic cancers, sarcomas and cancer metastasis.

The initiative will launch at UNSW on Thursday.

Jasmine, a GP and mother of three from Sydney's Northern Beaches, hopes to treat metastatic pancreatic cancer with precision medicine after genetic testing revealed she held the BRCA2 gene.

A molecular screening and therapeutics clinical trial identified a targeted therapy that has since significantly reduced the size of her cancer.

Kathren, a 40-year-old mother from Port Macquarie, also saw her pancreatic cancer shrink after genomic profiling revealed a mutation that qualified her for an immunotherapy trial.

Just five months after giving birth to her daughter, she was told the cancer had spread to her liver, forming a 15cm tumour too large for surgery.

But genomic profiling revealed a mutation that qualified her for an immunotherapy trial which saw her liver tumour shrink by 60 per cent within two months, completely disappearing within a year.

© AAP 2023

Honey produced by a little-known Australian ant carries powerful medicinal properties that could be used to fight harmful bacteria and fungi.

The honeypot ant, found in the deserts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, produces a honey containing unique antimicrobial properties, according to researchers from the University of Sydney.

Of particular interest to researchers were a class of overfed ants "stuffed with nectar and sugary substances by other worker ants" causing their abdomens to inflate with honey.

They described the ants as "immobile vending machines" for their colonies, regurgitating honey when other food options were scarce.

The ants first captured the attention of First Nations people who have used the crawling critters medicinally for thousands of years.

"We use it for sore throats and sometimes as a topical ointment to help keep infections at bay," Danny Ulrich from the Tjupan language group said.

Researchers have since confirmed the science behind its therapeutic use, finding the ant's honey to be effective against a potentially deadly bacterium commonly known as golden staph, and two species of fungi found in soil.

The staphylococcus aureus bacterium can cause infection or in serious cases, death, if it enters through a cut in the skin.

The aspergillus and cryptococcus fungi can also cause serious infection in people with suppressed immune systems.

University of Sydney researcher Dr Kenya Fernandes said the ants' honey possesses distinctive qualities that sets it apart from other types such as Manuka honey, a well-established topical treatment for wounds and skin infections.

"This discovery means that honeypot ant honey could contain compounds with substantial antimicrobial power," she said.

"Identifying these could provide us with starting points for developing new and different types of antibiotics."

Professor Dee Carter from the university's School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases said the team is excited to apply the findings to medicine.

"Taking something that has been honed by evolution to work in nature and then applying this to human health is a great way to come up with therapeutic strategies."

© AAP 2023