Amount Granted: $5 million

Chief Investigator: Professor Rick Kefford

Research Project: Seed-funding for the construction of two world-class melanoma research laboratories.

Cancer Types: Melanoma (skin cancer).

Project Description: In their recommendation of this institute for funding, the ACRF Medical Research Advisory Committee referred to this research team as the “pre-eminent group of melanoma researchers in Australia”. They have produced world-class basic and translational research for 20 years, and are certainly amongst the world-leaders in this field.

This is the third grant that ACRF has awarded to this centre. It will enable the Westmead Institute for Cancer Research (WICR) to bring to reality their plans for new ACRF Melanoma Research Laboratories which will house two international recognised melanoma research teams. The researchers from Newcastle and Westmead have a wonderful collaborative track-record, and merging their laboratory facilities will significantly increase their output of melanoma research in Australia.

The ACRF grant will give WICR the credibility and impetus to garner additional funding from the government, hospital and university in order to complete building for these cutting-edge cancer research laboratories.

Posted by Rebecca