Cancer research develops new drug to enhance cancer treatment Posted on May 4, 2016February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Cancer researchers at the ACRF grant recipient, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research have developed a new drug that could be used to repair blood vessel defects and allow for more targeted and effective cancer treatment delivery. Current treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy can struggle to enter a tumour because the blood vessels that fuel it have become malformed. Tumours require a lot of nutrients so many times this causes blood vessels to re-direct towards the tumour, leading to abnormalities in the vessels. The drug that was developed by Woodside Professor Ruth Ganss and her team discovered that smooth muscle cells that line blood vessels to give them shape and help them pump blood often break down in tumours. Once the smooth muscle cells break down, the blood vessel becomes leaky, reducing blood flow and preventing chemotherapy and immune cells from travelling into the tumour. Professor Ganss said the new drug works by repairing the smooth muscle cells and returning normal blood flow to the vessels, allowing anti-cancer drugs to reach the tumour’s core. “To achieve greater absorption of anti-cancer drugs, the blood vessels are really key,” Professor Ganss said. “Helping stem the spread of cancer.” Professor Ganss said the defect in smooth muscle cells lining blood vessels in cancer could also be a catalyst for the cancer to spread. “It could be that once the smooth muscle cells break down and the blood vessels become leaky, cancer cells are able to slip out of the tumours and migrate through the bloodstream to spread to different parts of the body.” “We are currently investigating whether our drug could help stem the spread of cancer in a patient by repairing the leaky blood vessels.” The original news article was published on the Harry Perkins website. The Australian Cancer Research Foundation has supported Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research by providing two grants, totalling AUD 3.6million, towards cutting edge cancer research equipment and technology.
Millions in private funding set for top cancer scientists in Australia Posted on October 13, 2014February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Every year the Australian Cancer Research Foundation provides multi-million dollar grants to support research projects of the highest calibre in Australia. Last week the ACRF Research Advisory Committee met with the six shortlisted applicants to hear more about their proposed projects for research funding. Chaired by Prof. Ian Fraser AC, the Committee is made up of 14 esteemed cancer scientists. “There has been a particular interest this year in new technology for looking for molecules which fingerprint cancer cells, and for the genetic mistakes that fingerprint cancer cells,” said Prof. Frazer, following the grant interviews. This year Committee member, A/Prof. Connie Trimble from John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA, travelled to Australia to join our panel of judges over the two day interview process. Her experience and perspective on the international research stage will ensure that the successful ACRF grant recipients represent the cutting-edge of world research. The shortlisted research groups, which were selected based on their significant potential to make an impact on cancer diagnosis, treatment and/or cure, represent a need for almost $25.M in funding. The six shortlisted applicants are from all over Australia, covering research into all cancers. These are: Walter & Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, VIC Develop a purpose-built facility specialising in developing new targeted therapies for all types of cancer. Monash Institute of Medical Research – Prince Henry Hospital, Melbourne, VIC Expansion of an existing ACRF centre to tackle issues such as early detection, tumour diversity and drug resistance. University of Queensland Centre for Advanced Imaging, Brisbane, QLD A facility specialising in the development and validation of novel molecular imaging agents for cancer. Children’s Cancer Institute, Sydney, NSW Create an integrated and dedicated child cancer precision medicine centre, focused on delivering personalised therapies for Australian children at high risk of treatment failure. Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW Build a space housing super-computer resources for a team of bioinformatics scientists, working towards the analysis of biological changes due to cancer treatment and disease progression. Sydney University Central Clinical School, Sydney, NSW Develop an ACRF imaging centre which will pioneer targeted radiotherapy and provide an opportunity for academia, medicine, industry and government to collaborate on the science and clinical practice of cancer treatment. The recipients of the 2014 grants will be announced in November. If you would like to read more about our grants process or to find out our past grants recipients please click here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Professor Haber wins NSW Cancer Researcher of the Year Posted on August 25, 2014February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit The annual Cancer Institute NSW’s Premier’s Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research were awarded last Friday evening at Sydney Town Hall and we are extremely proud to announce that ACRF Medical Research Advisory Committee member Professor Michelle Haber AM has been awarded the Outstanding Cancer Researcher Award for 2014. This prestigious award honours an individual who has made significant and fundamental contributions to any field of cancer research in NSW, and comes with a prize of $50,000 to further the recipient’s research endeavours. Professor Haber is the Executive Director of the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia, and has previously been awarded the Excellence in Translational Research Award at the Premier’s Awards in 2012. She is internationally recognised for her world-class research into the treatment of neuroblastoma and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children. We are very proud to count Professor Haber as a member of the ACRF Medical Research Advisory Committee. Committee members are cancer scientists of the highest national and, in many cases, global repute. They are leaders in Australian cancer research and advise the ACRF on applications received for ACRF grants funding, making recommendations to the Board of Trustees of ACRF as to where grants should be awarded for maximum impact and innovation in cancer prevention, diagnosis and cure. Excellence in children’s cancer research was further recognised on the night with the Premier’s Rising Star Award and the Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow of the Year going to members of the Kids Cancer Alliance. Associate Professor Georgina Long from the Melanoma Institute Australia was awarded the Wildfire Award, and collaborations working in haematological clinical research and asbestos research were also acknowledged for their efforts in their fields.
10-year trial of melanoma vaccine shows most promising outcomes to date Posted on April 21, 2014February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Researchers at the University of Adelaide have discovered a new trial vaccine which offers the most promising treatment to date for advanced melanoma. Known as ‘vaccinia melanoma cell lysate’ (VMCL), this new trial treatment was given regularly to 54 South Australian patients with advanced, inoperable melanoma over a 10-year period. The vaccine has been found to increase patient survival rates, with the ability to stop or reverse the cancer in some patients. Continue reading “10-year trial of melanoma vaccine shows most promising outcomes to date”
$8.4 Million in funding for some of the best cancer research innovations in Australia! Posted on December 4, 2013February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit The Australian Cancer Research Foundation has acknowledged the promising future of cancer research in Australia, announcing $8.4million in grants to progress the work of four of the country’s most innovative research initiatives. In an exciting first, the $8.4m will be shared between research teams from four separate Australian states. The funding will provide each research team with state-of-the-art technologies and facilities, the scope of which have the potential to make significant discoveries in the understanding and management of cancer. CEO of the ACRF, David Brettell says “Never before have we so many such world-class proposals for cancer research, with applications for our grants this year totalling almost $50 million.” Continue reading “$8.4 Million in funding for some of the best cancer research innovations in Australia!”
Millions in funding unveiled for Australia’s best cancer research innovations Posted on November 12, 2013February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) has announced the recipients of their annual Cancer Research Grants, collectively awarding $8.4m towards the newest innovations in Australian cancer research. In its quest to beat cancer, the ACRF has awarded almost $95m to Australian cancer research institutes, making it the largest private funding body for cancer research in Australia. Continue reading “Millions in funding unveiled for Australia’s best cancer research innovations”
Top Australian researchers bid for ACRF grants Posted on October 15, 2013February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Millions of dollars in ACRF funding will soon be awarded to Australia’s top cancer research teams, with this week heralding our final stage of assessments. Today and tomorrow, lead researchers from five shortlisted institutes will meet with the ACRF’s esteemed Advisory Committee (which is chaired by Professor Ian Frazer AC) for the final interviews which will ultimately determine the successful research teams. Shortlisted applicants include two institutes from Sydney: the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia, and the Children’s Medical Research Institute, as well as the QIMR Berghofer Cancer Research Institute in Brisbane, the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide, and the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Continue reading “Top Australian researchers bid for ACRF grants”
Millions in private funding for top cancer research projects in Australia Posted on June 21, 2013February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Five of the best cancer research projects in the world stand to receive millions of dollars in funding, following the Australian Cancer Research Foundation’s announcement today of its shortlist for 2013 research grants. From twelve research proposals, the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) has shortlisted five for further assessment as a result of the world-class standard of proposed works, and the significant potential for this research to achieve major breakthroughs in cancer diagnosis, treatment and cure. Continue reading “Millions in private funding for top cancer research projects in Australia”
Our shortlist of the most innovative cancer research projects in Australia Posted on June 20, 2013February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit The ACRF is very excited with the quality of the five shortlisted applications for our grants in 2013. Some of the very best researchers in the world feature in these applications. These final five applications represent a need for more than $20 million in advanced technologies and facilities. They cover many types of cancer, not just one or two. Our highly esteemed Medical Research Advisory Committee selected these particular projects for further review on two grounds – the world-class standard of the proposed research, and the potential to achieve major breakthroughs in cancer diagnosis, treatment and cure. That committee, led by Professor Ian Frazer, will now, through a detailed interview process, recommend to our Board the best of the best for ACRF funding. The final awardees will be publicly announced on 13 November this year. Every dollar we receive in donations this year will go to research that has the power to beat cancer. Please peruse the below, to find out where ACRF donations could be making a difference very soon. Continue reading “Our shortlist of the most innovative cancer research projects in Australia”
ACRF grant rounds open, funding research into all types of cancer Posted on April 2, 2013February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit The ACRF is once again inviting world-class research teams and collaborations to apply for between $1.5 and $5 million in ACRF research funding. Every year we provide major grants to help cutting-edge cancer research institutes develop state-of-the-art facilities, and purchase advanced technologies and equipment that speed up cancer discoveries. No other private research funding body in Australia provides grants as large as these; and these grants help to fund research in Australia that has the power to make significant breakthroughs in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Continue reading “ACRF grant rounds open, funding research into all types of cancer”
Up to $10 million in cancer research funding available through the Australian Cancer Research Foundation Posted on April 2, 2013February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) has begun accepting applications for their 2013 annual Cancer Research Grant Round. The ACRF provides major grants between $1.5 and $5 million to develop state-of-the-art, collaborative research centres and purchase advanced technologies and equipment. Grants of this magnitude are not available from any other private funding body in Australia. Continue reading “Up to $10 million in cancer research funding available through the Australian Cancer Research Foundation”
This week: site visits to finalise up to $10 million in cancer research funding! Posted on October 16, 2012February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit The ACRF’s scientific advisory committee is on the road this week to assess five world-class cancer research initiatives for potential ACRF funding. Three of the shortlisted research teams are based in Brisbane, with one in each of Sydney and Melbourne. You can click here to read about each proposed cancer research project. This week, these research teams will host our scientific experts for site visits and final interviews. These in-depth assessments will ultimately determine the final funding recipients. The scientific advisory committee is an independent board of 13 esteemed cancer scientists in Australia – it is chaired by Professor Ian Frazer AC, co-creator of the cervical cancer vaccine. The role of the Committee is to identify the most innovative cancer research initiatives in the country and recommend them for ACRF funding. Continue reading “This week: site visits to finalise up to $10 million in cancer research funding!”
Queen’s Birthday Honours List acknowledges four incredible Australians for their services to cancer research Posted on June 12, 2012February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Professor Ian Frazer. Source: The Australian The Australian Cancer Research Foundation would like to congratulate the following four Australians on their appointment to the Order of Australia yesterday via the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. We are so proud and humbled to have the support of these incredible Australians in various aspects of our work: Professor Ian Frazer, awarded Companion (AC) in the general division: Professor Frazer has been recognised for eminent service to medical research, particularly through leadership roles in the discovery of the human papilloma virus vaccine and its role in preventing cervical cancer. His services to higher education and charitable organisations (Professor Frazer is currently Chairman of the ACRF Medical Research Advisory Committee) have also been acknowledged with this award. Continue reading “Queen’s Birthday Honours List acknowledges four incredible Australians for their services to cancer research”
Professor Frazer seeks vaccine for skin cancer Posted on August 23, 2011February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Chair of the ACRF Medical Research Advisory committee (and co-creator of the cervical cancer vaccine), Professor Ian Frazer is currently working on a world-first strategy to combat skin cancer. “This group of cancers (skin cancers)…may be started off by a virus infection – which presents a great opportunity, because the idea of vaccinating to prevent a cancer is enormously appealing,” Professor Frazer said. Professor Frazer believes some virus types, including the wart virus or HPV, are embedded in the layers of the skin, and they pose a skin cancer risk when people with damaged or weak immune systems are overexposed to the sun. Continue reading “Professor Frazer seeks vaccine for skin cancer”
The best cancer research in the country shortlisted for ACRF support! Posted on June 6, 2011February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit The distinguished ACRF Medical Research Advisory Committee (MRAC) has revealed their short-list of world-class cancer research initiatives to receive up to $10 million in 2011. With 16 applications to consider, members of the MRAC (led by Fellow of the Royal Society of London and co-creator of the cervical cancer vaccine, Professor Ian Frazer) had a considerable task ahead of them. But they are very enthusiastic about five particular applicants whose vision for the future of cancer research is truly world-class and worthy of further investigation. Continue reading “The best cancer research in the country shortlisted for ACRF support!”
Professor Ian Frazer elected Fellow of The Royal Society Posted on May 23, 2011February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Chairman of the ACRF Medial Research Advisory Committee, Professor Ian Frazer, has been appointed a Fellow of the esteemed Royal Society of London for his ground-breaking research that resulted in a vaccine for cervical cancer. The 350 year old scientific academy acknowledges some of the most distinguished scientists in the world, with current and previous Fellows including Michael Faraday, Stephen Hawking and Isaac Newton. “Election to The Royal Society is a great and unexpected honor, providing an opportunity to interact with the world’s leading scientists,” Professor Frazer said. Continue reading “Professor Ian Frazer elected Fellow of The Royal Society”
Up to $10 million for cancer research Posted on March 25, 2011February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Applications for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation’s (ACRF) Research Grants are NOW OPEN. Applicants may apply for grants between $1.5 million and $3 million. Our Board of Trustees, advised by our distinguished Medical Research Advisory Committee, invites grant applications from leading cancer scientists and scientific teams in Australia for the funding of: • Capital Works & Facilities • National Enterprises Continue reading “Up to $10 million for cancer research”
Up to $5 million for cancer research Posted on March 23, 2010February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Applications for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation’s (ACRF) Research Grants are now closed. Applicants may apply for grants between $1.5 million and $5 million. The Board of Trustees of the ACRF, advised by our distinguished Medical Research Advisory Committee, invites grant applications from leading scientists and scientific teams for cancer research in Australia in the areas of: Capital Works & Facilities National Enterprises Continue reading “Up to $5 million for cancer research”
25 years of progress in Australian cancer research Posted on December 1, 2009February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit This year marked a milestone for the Foundation. 2009 was our silver anniversary; 25 years since the vision of the late Sir Peter Abeles set the Australian Cancer Research Foundation on its path of providing unprecedented multimillion-dollar private funding to cancer research in this country. ACRF’s board throughout its history – Lady (Sonia) McMahon, Sir Ian Turbott AO, CMG, CVO HonDLitt, and Mr John Boettcher AO – supported Sir Peter in his mission in the very early day’s of the Foundation. The original Medical Research Advisory Committee (MRAC) who stringently assessed applications for funding included esteemed scientist Professor Ronald Penny AO. Similarly, today’s experts on ACRF’s MRAC, headed by Professor Ian Frazer, continue to advise the ACRF’s Board of Trustees. The first grant given by ACRF was for $1 million for an Immunotherapy Centre at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney when Immunotherapy – now a key element of our cancer knowledge bank – was very much on the fringe of mainstream research. Since that first year, the Foundation has granted over $60 million to Australian medical research teams at many of the country’s leading cancer research institutes. Those funds are used to purchase major equipment, construct research laboratories and equip cancer centres. More than two-thirds of our grants have been awarded since 2004, a reflection of the rapid progress made since the human genome was decoded and the sequencing of human DNA advanced our understanding of the relationship between genes and disease. That increase is also a reflection of the increasing generosity of the many companies, individuals and community groups who support ACRF. ACRF will continue its critical contribution to breakthrough projects; projects which increase our knowledge and result in ways to prevent cancer and in more effective treatments. Ultimately cancer will be overcome. Professor Ian Frazer, who discovered the cervical cancer vaccine, recently said of the Foundation “The ACRF provides critical funding for infrastructure support that enables our research to be competitive on an international basis.’’ Watch a recent interview with Professor Ian Frazer. In 2009 we received ten grant applications for projects that would make a difference to the lives of the one in three people who will be touched by cancer. Those applications totalled $34.8 million. As we go to press, we are working on a five-year plan to enable us to increase our income and research funding significantly over the next five years. Read about the winners of 2009 research grants We trust you will stay with us and join us in our mission to create a world free of cancer. We depend on you and are deeply grateful for your support over the last twenty-five years.
Breakthrough invention will reduce chemo hit-and-miss Posted on May 19, 2008February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Four years ago ACRF awarded $500,000 to a University of NSW research team led by Professor Philip Hogg at Children’s Cancer Institute Australia. The funding established the CCIA Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) Drug Discovery Program. In 2007, Professor Hogg, a member of ACRF’s Medical Research Advisory Committee, developed technology that can indicate whether chemotherapy treatment is working in solid tumour cancers such as colon, bowel, breast, prostate and lung cancer. “The ACRF state-of-the-art laboratory played a critical role in the development of an imaging agent which will show whether chemotherapy treatment is effective,” Prof. Hogg explained. In explaining the potential impact of this major breakthrough, Prof. Hogg noted that 11 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed globally each year, with standard treatments being chemotherapy and radiotherapy and, if discovered early enough, surgery. There is currently no non-invasive way to measure death of cancer cells, he said. “A major challenge facing doctors is being able to assess – in real time and after one or two treatments – whether a course of chemotherapy or radiotherapy is working or not,” Prof. Hogg said. “With this new agent cancer patients will not have to waste time and edure the side-effects of an ineffective treatment.”
ACRF rep heads breast cancer breakthrough Posted on December 13, 2005February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit ACRF Medical Research Advisory Committee member Professor Geoff Lindeman is at the head of a research team that has moved one step closer to understanding the genesis of breast cancer. The research project – at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne – induced mice to grow new mammary glands, complete with milk ducts, from stem cells. It opens the possibility that complex organs, such as lungs, intestines and breasts, could be grown for humans. It is also the first time a complex organ – other than the skin – has been grown from a single stem cell, prompting eminent WEHI cell biologist Doug Hilton to hail it “possibly the most significant medical research advance to come out of Melbourne in the past decade”. As well as helping scientists to understand the development of other organs, the project has important ramifications for cancer research. Scientists will be able to investigate how gene mutations occur, disrupting normal mammary development and eventually causing breast cancer. Continue reading “ACRF rep heads breast cancer breakthrough”
