The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

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$2M grant to expand cancer research facilities

 

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute last night received $2 million from the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) to expand the institute’s commitment to cancer research.

The funding will provide new, state-of-the-art facilities that will accelerate research into the origins of cancer and advance cancer drug discovery.

Institute director Professor Doug Hilton said the value derived from the ACRF funding would have amazing benefits for cancer patients.

“Advances in cancer treatment require research breakthroughs and research breakthroughs require high-quality teams with access to excellent facilities,” Professor Hilton said. “This grant will allow us to build on our breakthroughs in breast cancer and extend them to lung and ovarian cancers. The funding will also provide facilities that will maximise our chances of using chemistry to generate new cancer medicines.”

The institute is undergoing a major capital works program to expand and redevelop its principal research laboratories in Parkville. Cancer research currently accounts for 53 per cent of the institute’s research expenditure.

The ACRF funding will support the research of Professors Jane Visvader and Geoff Lindeman, who focus on the biology of epithelial cancers such as breast cancer and the role of stem cells in the development of these cancers. Epithelial cancers account for 80 per cent of the cancer burden in our society.

The group recently identified that female hormones regulate breast stem cells, explaining decades of evidence linking breast cancer risk to exposure to female hormones. The ACRF funding will help them build on their recent breast cancer discoveries and expand the research program into other solid tumour types, including ovarian and lung cancers.

It will also support the institute’s commitment to developing its basic biological discoveries in cancer research into new pharmaceuticals that will yield major healthcare benefits. Much of this work is undertaken in the Chemical Biology division which provides leadership in high-throughput chemical screening, medicinal chemistry and molecular and cell biology.

“Cancer patients benefit from having breakthroughs made in Australia by getting early access to new experimental therapies and, because their oncologists are continually exposed to new ideas, they get the best possible treatments,” Professor Hilton said. “This funding will allow us to build our research team rather than treading water, or worse, having our star researchers move overseas in search of better facilities and opportunities.”

The ACRF raises funds for cancer research and awards grants that enable the creation of critical research infrastructure.

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Penny Fannin
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