| Project title | Cure Brain Cancer Head of Biomarker and Translational Research |
|---|---|
Grant Amount | $1.2 million |
Institution | University of New South Wales |
Investigator Team | Principal investigators A/Prof. Kerrie McDonald with associate investigators |
Years | 2015 – 2019 |
The Cure Brain Cancer Head of Biomarker and Translational Research, A/Prof. Kerrie McDonald, leads a research group at the Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW. The focus of this group is precision medicine, which focuses on understanding the genetics of an individual’s cancer. This approach will lead to changes in management because we have a better understanding of prognosis or treatment options, or because drugs are available which will specifically target genetic changes.
Cure Brain Cancer Foundation funding will allow A/Prof. McDonald to:
- Lead a highly productive program of research focussed on discoveries with the potential to improve patient outcomes through direct translation into the clinical setting, as well as through informing evidence based health care;
- Represent Australia in partnerships with like-minded groups and organisations on the international stage. Opportunities for the translation of research will grow, through Dr. McDonald’s roles in international consortia such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), as well as through various national collaborations.
- Dedicate the program of research to developing a personalised medicine approach for brain cancer patients, which will lead to significant improvements in survival times.
“The commitment and support of Cure Brain Cancer Foundation has enabled Dr. McDonald and her team to make important research discoveries, and has had a significant impact on the understanding of glioblastoma”
Progress
Extensions in survival for brain cancer patients will stem from better access to state-of-the-art clinical trials and a better understanding of the genomics underpinning the cancer. Our group has successfully designed and implemented a dynamic drug discovery platform and a personalised medicine platform, which has led to significant clinical trial development and changes in treatment for patients. Our methodologies have led to hope for brain cancer patients and this is incredibly important in the battle with brain cancer. With publications in world class journals, we are quickly becoming an international leader in translational research for brain cancer.
We are now the “go to” lab for pharmaceutical companies around the world to test their agents against our patient derived cell panel and patient derived xenografts models. We have patients calling the lab on a weekly basis to see if their loved one could receive whole genome sequencing or have their sequencing from another lab read. We are the only lab in Australia dedicated to finding new treatments for rare tumour groups such as low grade glioma and childhood ependymoma. It is because of the investment by CBCF, that we are now moving towards a cure.