2006 - $1 million capital works grant

Feature Outcome: Construction of a multidisciplinary academic cancer centre to be called The Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Prevention and Care (FCIC).

The building will provide space for research and clinical activities. Funding provided by the Australian Cancer Research Foundation is specifically directed towards the research areas and the fitting out of the research space.

The FCIC will be a facility that is user friendly for patients and research participants, and which unifies personnel, their activities and programs.
Specifically in relationship to research, it will provide environments that facilitate clinical trials, data management, data informatics, multidisciplinary networking in meetings, and new laboratory facilities needed for emerging technologies.

Research Institution/s: Flinders University (FU) and Flinders Medical Centre (FMC), SA

Director of Research:  Professor Graeme P Young

Background / Overview:  The mission of the FCIC is to conduct a program of development and implementation of innovative approaches that better enable us to deal with the problem of cancer as it affects the individual, the family and friends of those affected or at risk, and the community as a whole.

Inherent in this mission is the capability of translating new technology and knowledge into effective outcomes in both the clinical arena and at the community level – that is, 'bench-to-fireside' concept. However, we are not of the view that technology drives the application, but rather that technology should be driven by and/or adapted according to need and practicalities such as behavioural determinants

Further Details / Outcomes: The research program supported by the ACRF will have basic and translational capabilities. The basic science agenda will seek to develop new options for prevention. To achieve this it will focus on precancer lesions (i.e. preinvasive neoplastic events such as dysplasia). We will explore a range of strategies applicable to preinvasive events including the inherent genetic and biological defects.

Examples (which have broader capabilities) include: identifying those at risk of developing cancer; enhancing repair of genetic events; diagnosing those with precancer lesions; regulating progression by targeting genomic instability and/or altered biology.

Expected benefits of the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer to cancer research outcomes:

The Flinders team conducts outcome-based population screening research where related clinical services, screening programs, high-risk surveillance programs, test technology and behavioural aspects are all incorporated. This has already driven and informed the national colorectal cancer screening program. They now wish to expand upon this agenda to encompass cervical and prostate cancer where there is great need for both technological development and implementation research. They are also piloting a regional screening program, linked to relevant basic science research, for the prevention and early detection of oesophageal cancer.

At FCIC, the science focus is specifically on precancer biology – a logical point for developing preventive strategies, whereas most groups focus on cancer itself and relate more to treatment than prevention.

They can also interface the science related to prevention with the clinical, population and behavioural capabilities needed to test their efficacy in the public health arena. Collaboration between both ought to optimise refinement so that interventions have maximum efficiency.

Types of Cancer : Leukaemia, Bowel, Lung, Prostate, Breast, Cervix, Oesophagus