Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

 

World's first carbohydrate malaria vaccine wins Gates Foundation grant

 

Associate Professor Louis Schofield has been awarded a US$1 million grant to advance the development of the world's first carbohydrate malaria vaccine.A Walter and Eliza Hall Institute project to develop the world’s first carbohydrate-based malaria vaccine has received a US$1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, through the Grand Challenges Explorations program.

The vaccine, developed by Associate Professor Louis Schofield from the institute’s Infection and Immunity division, targets an essential Plasmodium parasite carbohydrate called GPI (glycosylphosphatidylinositol). GPI is also a toxin produced by the Plasmodium parasite that has previously been identified as a major determinant in the severity and fatality of disease.

Associate Professor Schofield said the US$1 million Grand Challenges Explorations Phase II funding will allow the team to advance development and preclinical trials that will test the ability of the vaccine to interrupt transmission of the parasite, and decrease the severity of the disease.

“The anti-GPI vaccine is novel in that it is the first potential antimalarial vaccine that targets a parasite carbohydrate, rather than a protein,” he said. “Malaria parasites invest considerable effort in evading the immune system, continuously modifying its proteins to avoid detection, which is why a malaria vaccine has continued to be elusive. A vaccine that targets a highly conserved carbohydrate target could be especially effective in treating malaria.”

Associate Professor Schofield said that a vaccine with anti-toxic properties could also be a highly effective public health tool. “Vaccines against pathogen-derived toxins have been successful against tetanus, diptheria and pertussis [whooping cough], but have not been developed for treating malaria,” Associate Professor Schofield said. “The use of a vaccine with anti-toxin properties could help to diminish the disease burden in countries where malaria is endemic, particularly if used in combination with other prevention and treatment strategies.”

Associate Professor Schofield said the US$1 million Phase II funding follows on from a one-year Phase I funding project also supported by the Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges Explorations program.

“We generated some very encouraging results from the phase I project that indicate the anti-GPI vaccine could be very useful in both preventing and treating malaria,” he said.

World Health Organization figures indicate more than half the world is at risk of malaria infection, with 225 million cases of malaria and almost 800,000 deaths annually. The disease is the biggest killer in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 20 per cent of all childhood deaths are due to malaria, the equivalent of one child every 45 seconds.

“We have done extensive work in areas where malaria is endemic, such as Papua New Guinea, where malaria is a substantial disease and economic burden,” Associate Professor Schofield said. “We are excited to move into further development and trials of a vaccine that may help to diminish this burden.”

The project is one of only nine Grand Challenges Explorations projects that received up to $1 million in funding to advance ideas that have shown promise in tackling global health challenges. Grand Challenges Explorations enables researchers worldwide to test unorthodox ideas that address persistent health and development challenges.

 

Visit the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation website.

Harold Mitchell Foundation

Harold Mitchell Foundation: supporting career development

 

Dr Mark RobinsonA $5000 travel fellowship awarded by the Harold Mitchell Foundation has seen senior postdoctoral fellow Dr Mark Robinson visit the US to develop his knowledge and contacts in the field of epigenetics.

Dr Robinson, who has a joint appointment between the Bioinformatics division and the epigenetics laboratory at the Garvan Institute, used the fellowship in March to attend the XGEN Congress in San Diego.

“The XGEN Congress comprised an eclectic mix of academic and industry attendees, the majority of whom are engaged in the production or analysis of next-generation sequencing data,” Dr Robinson said. “I presented a poster on my work comparing DNA methylation platforms and received several useful comments while also making some connections.”

Since 2007, the Harold Mitchell Foundation has annually provided funding to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute to support two travel fellowships. The fellowships are valued at up to $5000 and are to be used for overseas travel.

Dr Robinson’s fellowship also made it possible for him to share ideas with leaders in epigenetics through visits to the laboratories of Dr Bing Ren at the University of California, San Diego, Professor Joe Ecker at the Salk Institute, San Diego, and Professor Art Petronis at the Krembil Family Epigenetics Laboratory in Toronto, Canada.

“The Harold Mitchell Fellowship provided me with a unique opportunity to attend an exceptional conference and visit three world-class epigenetics laboratories,” Dr Robinson said. “It was of tremendous benefit.”

A second Harold Mitchell Fellowship was awarded to PhD student Carolyn de Graaf from the Molecular Medicine division. Carolyn used her fellowship to travel to Barcelona for an International Society for Stem Cell Research Conference and explore potential postdoctoral options in Amsterdam and Seattle.

 

Visit the Harold Mitchell Foundation website.

John T Reid Charitable Trusts

Arthritis research program flourishes under long-term support

 

Rheumatoid arthritis is a major cause of disability and chronic pain for around 200,000 Australians. It is estimated to cost the community billions of dollars per year in direct and indirect medical care, lost earnings and productivity.

The institute has been fortunate to have the long-term support of the John T Reid Charitable Trusts in maintaining an arthritis research laboratory. The Reid Laboratory has been headed by Professor Ian Wicks since the early 1990s, and is now part of the newly formed Inflammation division.

The Reid Laboratory has made many substantial advances in understanding the molecular events underlying the development of arthritis. One highlight has been the discovery that the cytokines G-CSF and GM-CSF contribute to the joint inflammation that underlies arthritis. This research has resulted in the development of potential new treatments for arthritis that block G-CSF or GM-CSF, the latter now being in phase I clinical trials.

Mrs Belinda Lawson (centre), trustee of the John T Reid Charitable Trusts, with institute researchers including director Professor Doug Hilton (far left) and Professor Ian Wicks (third from left).“G-CSF and GM-CSF were both discovered at the institute as regulators of white blood cell production,” said Professor Wicks. “Our work has opened a new avenue of interest into the role of these cytokines in inflammation, which we hope will lead to new treatments for inflammation and arthritis.

“Research into the causes of, and treatments for rheumatoid arthritis remains relatively poorly supported in Australia, despite the significant impact this disease has on the community,” Professor Wicks said. “The support of the John T Reid Charitable Trusts has provided my laboratory with a critical support base from which we can develop long-term research strategies that span from basic discovery through to clinical research.”

 

Visit the John T Reid Charitable Trusts website.

J.H.A. Munro Foundation

The J.H.A. Munro Foundation – supporting diabetes research

 

Mr Bob Munro, supporting diabetes research at the institute.Mr Bob Munro understands what it is like to have a family affected by serious illness.

With a son who has severe type 1 diabetes, Mr Munro decided he wanted to make a difference to people suffering from this chronic disease, and aid in the identification of causes and treatments for diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong inflammatory disease requiring daily injections of insulin.

For several years Mr Munro, through the J.H.A. Munro Foundation, has supported the work of Professor Len Harrison. Professor Harrison has joint appointments at the institute, where he leads the diabetes research program, and at The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), where he is a member of the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology.

Initially, Mr Munro supported the work of Professor Harrison and Professor Peter Colman (from RMH) in their development of a nasal vaccine for type 1 diabetes. This association led to Mr Munro supporting Professor Harrison’s work at the institute into the role of vitamin D in diabetes. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone with anti-inflammatory properties, and has been shown to improve the function of insulin production in humans.

Professor Harrison, with fellow institute clinician researchers Dr Shirley Elkassaby and Dr John Wentworth, and Dr Spiros Fourlanos from The Royal Melbourne Hospital, has been investigating whether vitamin D improves immune and metabolic function in people with diabetes.

Mr Munro’s foresight and generosity in supporting the research made the project viable.

“I wanted to put my money into research which would make a difference to people suffering from diabetes,” Mr Munro said.

As results from the study became available in late 2010, the institute arranged for Mr Munro to come in for an update on the research.

“Professor Harrison and his research team and even institute director Professor Doug Hilton took the time to explain the research to me, and I felt I could be part of the solution,” he said.

Australian Cancer Research Foundation

 

Research partnership to improve treatments for cancer patients

 

Professors Jane Visvader (far left) and Geoff Lindeman, from the institute's ACRF Stem Cells and Cancer division, with Professor David Huang (right) from the institute's ACRF Chemical Biology division.The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) has committed $2 million towards the fit-out of two new cancer research laboratories at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

The funding has helped establish new laboratories for the institute’s ACRF Stem Cells and Cancer division and ACRF Chemical Biology division. These divisions will expand the institute’s research programs into the causes of, and new treatments for, some of the most prevalent cancers in Australia, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer and leukaemia.

The ACRF Stem Cells and Cancer division will study the biology of epithelial cancers, including breast, lung and ovarian cancer. Epithelial cancers account for about 80 per cent of human cancers and new treatments are desperately needed, said Professor Geoff Lindeman, joint head of the new division with Professor Jane Visvader, and an oncologist at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

“Lung cancer is the greatest cause of cancer-related death in Australians, while breast cancer is a leading cause of mortality in women,” he said. “These are diseases that are very prevalent, and patients need better treatments. Similarly, more research is needed into ovarian cancer, which is poorly understood and for which the outlook for patients is very poor. The ACRF’s support will help us to better understand how these cancers develop, and discover new treatment strategies.”

Professor David Huang, head of the new ACRF Chemical Biology division, said the new facilities would enable institute researchers to develop new medications for cancers including epithelial cancers and blood cancers such as leukaemia.

“The institute has many scientists investigating how cancers might be better treated,” Professor Huang said. “Our division will use this knowledge to develop medications that have the potential to be used as new anti-cancer agents.”

The director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Professor Doug Hilton, said the fit-out of the new cancer laboratories would provide an important boost to the institute’s cancer research programs.

“Discovering the causes of cancer, and developing treatments for cancer, have been a focus of our researchers for much of the past 100 years,” he said. “The institute has already made many contributions that have helped patients. For example, the discovery of colony stimulating factors by institute researchers in the 1960s has now helped more than 10 million cancer patients worldwide. We anticipate that some of our current studies will have similar impacts on cancer treatments in the future.”

The ACRF Chairman, Mr Tom Dery, said the new funding agreement would further strengthen Australian cancer research efforts.

“We have been proud to support successful research projects at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in the past,” he said. “This research has been across the spectrum, from investigating the underlying molecular defects in cancer through to the development of new anti-cancer treatments. The ACRF’s support for these new research facilities will enable institute scientists to make discoveries about cancer biology, and then see them developed through to potential new anti-cancer treatments. This will undoubtedly improve the outlook for patients with some of the most common and deadly cancers in Australia.”

 

 

Visit the Australian Cancer Research Foundation website.

Leukaemia Foundation of Australia

Investing in finding leukaemia treatments

 

PhD student Ms Natasha Anstee has received a scholarship from the Leukaemia Foundation for her research into the pro-survival protein Mcl-1 in acute myeloid leukaemia.Leukaemia is the eighth most common cancer in Australia, and more than 4800 people will be diagnosed with leukaemia this year.

The Leukaemia Foundation of Australia has been a strong supporter of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s quest to find new treatments for leukaemia. The foundation has partnered with the institute to support talented young scientists for the past six years, supporting 11 institute scientists studying various aspects of blood cancer, particularly understanding how disturbances in the cell death pathway are linked to cancers.

This year, PhD student Ms Natasha Anstee received a $120,000 grant from the Leukaemia Foundation to undertake her postgraduate studies. She will study the role of pro-survival protein Mcl-1 in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

AMLs often express high levels of Mcl-1 and this is associated with a poor response to treatment and a poor prognosis. Ms Anstee will be testing the response of leukaemias that overexpress Mcl-1 to conventional and new treatments.

“Several pharmaceutical companies are currently directing a lot of effort towards developing Mcl-1-specific drugs, with a view to improving treatment for AML and other tumours expressing high levels of Mcl-1,” said Miss Anstee. “I will be comparing the efficacy of such drugs with that of existing drugs in laboratory models that have been developed at the institute.” Ms Anstee said that, despite progress being made over the past several decades in treating AML, there is a need to develop new therapies for the disease.

“AML is one of the most common forms of acute leukaemia, and despite recent advances, AML still has a poor prognosis, with only 23 per cent of patients surviving five years after diagnosis. We hope that this research will contribute to the development of new, more targeted therapies that will improve the survival rate in AML patients.”

 

Visit the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia website.

Treated with CSFs?

Are you one of the more than 10 million people who have benefited from CSFs?

CSFs recipient Pauline Speedy
If you have received CSFs as part of cancer or other treatments, then we want to hear from you!

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute has just undergone a major building redevelopment which has seen the institute double in size, and we are looking for people who have received CSFs to help us open our new building.


Join us at our building opening

Our new building will be officially opened on 22 November 2012.

If you would like to be involved in the opening, or if you are interested in finding out more about the event, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 03 9345 2928.

About CSFs

What are CSFs?

To maintain its defences against infection, the body needs to produce up to five billion white blood cells (or immune cells) every day.

CSFs, or colony stimulating factors, are the naturally-occurring hormones that are responsible for telling the body to produce these white blood cells.

Two types of CSFs, called G-CSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factors) and GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factors) have been developed and approved for use in humans. They are particularly useful for treating people who have had some types of chemotherapy** or need blood stem cell transplants.

How were CSFs discovered?

CSFs were discovered by Professor Don Metcalf at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Their discovery, purification and development for helping cancer patients is one of the biggest success stories to emerge from the institute.

For almost 30 years, Professor Metcalf painstakingly pursued one mission – identifying and purifying the hormones that stimulate blood cells to produce the white blood cells needed by the body to fight infection.

Professor Metcalf’s research has been supported by the Cancer Council Victoria for more than 50 years. Although Professor Metcalf officially retired in 1996, he is still an active researcher at the institute.

Learn more about Professor Metcalf and the CSFs story.

How do CSFs help people with cancer?

Chemotherapy is used to treat kill cancer cells. Unfortunately it may also kill healthy cells that rapidly divide, such as cells in the hair follicle (which is why people's hair falls out) amd white blood cells that fight infection.

CSFs are given to some cancer patients after chemotherapy to increase the number of white blood cells. This makes people less likely to serious infections after chemotherapy.

How do CSFs help people who need a bone marrow or stem cell transplant?

Stem cells (also called haematopoietic stem cells of blood-forming stem cells) are immature cells found in the bone marrow that divide and mature to produce red and white blood cells.

CSFs (G-CSF in particular) send signals to stem cells in the bone marrow, encouraging them to move out of the bone marrow into the blood.

Stem cells for donation are collected from the donor by a simple process similar to donating blood, rather than under general anaesthetic by direct extraction from the bone. More than 1000 blood stem cell transplants occur in Australia each year.

The finding that G-CSF multiplies and mobilises stem cells out of the bone marrow into the blood has revolutionised stem cell donation and transplantation.

 

** Only your doctor can tell you if there is any role for CSFs in your care.

10 million and counting: the CSFs story

CSFs recipient Kim and her parents Kris and Juanjuan Von HabsburgCSFs are critical molecules that tell stem cells in the bone marrow to multiply and mature to boost the immune system and help fight infection.

More than 10 million cancer patients worldwide have been treated with CSFs (colony stimulating factors), drugs that boost immune systems ravaged by chemotherapy and help collect blood stem cells for bone marrow transplants.

Discovering CSFs

Professor Don Metcalf and colleagues from Melbourne's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research identified and purified CSFs, the hormones that regulate blood cell production. It took almost thirty years for the discovery, identification, purification and development of CSFs as a treatment for humans.

By supporting our research, you can help us to continue to find new and better cancer treatments so that we can help 10 million more people.


        


For more information, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 03 9345 2928.

 

Donate online

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Newsletter

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Meet our scientists

Looking down a microscope during a discovery tour of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

In person

Come and visit us at the institute - learn more about what we do, and meet our scientists who are working hard to understand, treat and prevent disease.

Come on a Discovery Tour

Discovery Tours are an excellent opportunity for you to visit the institute. On a tour, you will:

  • meet our scientists;
  • tour our laboratories; and
  • learn more about our research into disease areas such as cancer, diabetes, coeliac disease and malaria.

Find out more about our Discovery Tours, including dates and online registration. You can also find out more or sign up by calling Catherine Axiaq on +61 3 9345 2961.

Participate in a public lecture

We invite you to come and participate in a discussion about current health and medical research issues. One of our scientists will give a talk on a particular issue, and we encourage you to engage and ask questions of the panel.

Find out more about our public lectures, including dates and online registration. You can also sign up by calling +61 3 9345 2555. You can also watch our previous public lectures online.

Online

If you can't make it in person to meet our scientists, you can find out about their research and keep up to date with our latest news by:

Trusts and Foundations

Trusts and Foundations

The support of charitable trusts and foundations is crucial to the institute’s capacity to take on new and bold research. We have received support from organisations, including:

How your Trust or Foundation can help

If you are involved with a charitable trust or foundation we encourage you to support our researchers as they work to understand, prevent and treat diseases including cancer - particularly blood, breast, ovarian and lung cancers - type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease and malaria.

For a confidential discussion on how you can help us in our mission of ‘mastery of disease through discovery’ please contact us.

Contact for more information

Jane Turner, Trusts and Foundations Manager
Ph: +61 3 9345 2840
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Major supporters

Our funding sources

The funding the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute receives is vital to achieving our strategic goals and making the discoveries necessary to advance the understanding, prevention and treatment of disease. We currently receive income/research support from:

In the 2010-11 financial year, our income sources were as follows:

  • 58% - Australian Government
  • 14% - Donation and bequest investment income
  • 9% - Victorian Government
  • 9% - Philanthropic grants, fellowships, donations and bequests (Australian)
  • 4% - Philanthropic grants and fellowships (overseas)
  • 6% - other income

We are grateful for the trust our supporters have awarded us and are committed to honouring that trust.

Government support

The institute is thankful for the support of the Victorian and Australian Governments. In the 2010-11 financial year, the institute successfully competed for $31.6 million in grants and $8 million in fellowships from the National Health and Medical Research Council. A further $293,000 in grants and $1.58 million in fellowships was awarded.

The Victorian Government provided $6.8 million of support through the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium, Victorian Cancer Agency, Victorian Endowment for Science, Knowledge and Innovation (VESKI), Victorian Neurotrauma Initiative, and the Operational Infrastructure Support scheme.

Further support was received from the:

Paddy Pearl

A public philanthropist

In 2009, Australian philanthropist Paddy Pearl auctioned Campania House, her 19th century home, in Tasmania. Mrs Pearl donated some of the proceeds from the sale of her home to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. This donation has been used to support research into diseases that affect children, through the $100,000 Cyril and Paddy Pearl Scholarship, honouring Mrs Pearl and her late husband Mr Cyril Pearl.

The scholarship’s inaugural recipient, Alan Yap, is investigating how the malaria parasite infects humans and the mechanisms it uses to evade host immune responses. Malaria kills one child every 15 seconds, and young people represent the majority of malaria deaths worldwide, particularly in Africa.

Mrs Pearl, who died in 2011, had strong views on philanthropy. “I'll keep what I need to live on, which won't be much. And when I die, the institute will get the rest,” she said in 2009. “A child dies needlessly every three seconds in this world. The researchers at Walter and Eliza Hall do marvellous work, and they need all the help we can give.''

Institute director Professor Doug Hilton said Mrs Pearl’s philanthropy and belief in what the institute is trying to achieve had given its researchers tremendous encouragement.

“Paddy’s personal commitment to improving the quality of life and health outcomes for her fellow Australians and people around the world is an inspiration,” he said.

 

Gwendoline Lanteri’s legacy

Community support is our lifeblood

In 2006, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute was notified that Mrs Gwendoline Lanteri had left a significant bequest to the institute.

Her will was contested but Mrs Lanteri’s niece Andrea Gowers and sister-in-law Nita Mussett and her family took the legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court to ensure Mrs Lanteri’s wish to leave her estate to the institute was fulfilled. In 2008, the court found in their favour.

The lengths gone to by the Mussett and Gowers families has led us to consider them special supporters. Here, Andrea Gowers and Nita Mussett reflect on the past few years and their relationship with the institute.

“The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute became almost an obsession for our family. Our aunt Gwen Lanteri was the victim of an attempt to redirect her estate away from the institute. We fought this as far as the Supreme Court and won, with the result that the institute’s research benefited. In life, Gwen was an erudite and successful businesswoman who, throughout her life, planned carefully and made clear her final wishes in three consecutive wills. We were committed to seeing Gwen’s wishes fulfilled and after a difficult and prolonged legal battle the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute was finally able to benefit from her legacy exactly as she had planned.

Frank, her husband, predeceased her, dying of cancer after a long illness. Gwen did not discuss her will prior to her death but we surmise that, knowing Gwen, she would have read about and understood the influence of the institute’s research on cancer treatments. Gwen appreciated knowledge and the institute represents outstanding scientific achievement.

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists are inspirational and on each occasion we have been involved with them it has been an uplifting experience. The ethos of the institute is one of dedication and enthusiasm. The scientists deserve our support and we are fortunate to be a part of their support team.”

Bessie Mavis Gray

An inspirational life

Bessie Mavis Gray was an amazing lady. Born in rural Victoria in 1903, and later living in Melbourne, Bessie was an active member of the church and the wider community, especially the Country Women’s Association and organizations assisting the blind. Throughout her life, Bessie’s indomitable spirit and gentle assertiveness shone through, coming to the fore when, at the age of 89, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She unequivocally insisted on an operation to “get it out”. Thankfully the operation was a success and Bessie lived to be 104.

Medical advances were a continual source of wonder for Bessie. This interest led her to learn about the achievements of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute related by the then Director, Sir Gustav Nossal.

We were honoured that Bessie’s daughter, Miss Yvonne Gray, chose to donate funds from her late mother’s estate to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Miss Gray felt her mother would wish to make a meaningful difference with her Estate and decided it was better, rather than supporting a lot of charities, to provide an amount which would make a substantial difference to an organisation. Miss Gray subsequently visited the Institute, touring the laboratories and meeting our Director and other eminent researchers.

We are very grateful for Bessie’s legacy and Yvonne’s foresight and commitment to further medical research at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, and have establish a permanent fund in memory of Bessie Mavis Gray. Supporters such as Bessie and Yvonne are truly inspiring and light the way to a future that ensures better medical outcomes for men, women and children around the world and for the generations to come.

Berwick opportunity shop

A long-term supporter

We are delighted to have received regular donations from the Berwick opportunity shop. In both 2008 and 2009 we were selected as a major beneficiary of the shop and received a generous donation of $20,000, and have previously received other significant support. Carole Mayes, Secretary commented that this represented a lot of clothing sales. In fact, this year the shop has raised over $300,000 for the not for profit sector – a huge feat given a ‘large sale’ is classed as $5.

The Berwick opportunity shop committee requested that its funds be directed towards breast cancer research at the institute as many of its members have been affected by breast cancer. We were very pleased to be invited to present at the opportunity shop AGM in 2008. Dr Samantha Oakes, one of our many young, dedicated researchers, gave the meeting an updated on advances in the area of breast stem cell research.

We are very grateful to everyone at the Berwick opportunity shop for their hard work and commitment in raising funds for the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Their donation makes a very real difference to our research.

Supporter stories

Community support is vital for our scientists to continue to make discoveries that improve human health. We gratefully acknowledge the many individuals and groups who have supported our research. Here are just some of the stories from our many supporters who share why they support medical research at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute:

Why give to us?

The need for medical research

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s has more than 650 researchers who are working to understand, prevent and treat diseases including

  • cancer – particularly blood, breast, ovarian and lung cancers
  • chronic inflammatory diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and coeliac disease; and
  • infectious diseases, including malaria, HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis.

We are doing this because:

  • More than 114,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia in 2010, and more than 43,000 Australians died of cancer
  • One in nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 85
  • Malaria kills almost 700,000 people each year
  • Two billion people globally have been infected with hepatitis B virus
  • More than 120,000 Australians have type 1 diabetes
  • Coeliac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 Australians

Outcomes for patients

More than 60 clinical trials based on discoveries made at the institute are underway. These include trials of a new class of anti-cancer agents and potential vaccines for type 1 diabetes, coeliac disease and malaria. 

How you can help

Your support will allow us to continue to make discoveries that improve people’s health. Why not come and meet our scientists and/or hear from people who support our medical research. There are many ways to give to the institute. If you would like to help us immediately, you can donate now.

Donations to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of $2 and over are fully tax deductible. Thank you for your support.

Campaigns and appeals

10 million and counting: the CSFs story

More than 10 million cancer patients worldwide have been treated with CSFs (colony stimulating factors), drugs that boost immune systems ravaged by chemotherapy and help collect stem cells for bone marrow transplants.

CSFs were discovered in Melbourne at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Help us to find new and better cancer treatments so we can help 10 million more people. Donate online or find out about other ways that you can support our research.


Have you benefited from treatment with CSFs?

Call 03 9345 2928 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to tell us your story.

 

Karma Currency

We've joined Karma Currency, a site where instead of buying presents you can give a gift to charity. We have a number of projects you can choose to support:

Contact for more information

Julie Tester, Donor Development Manager
Ph: +61 3 9345 2962
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Fundraise for us

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute has many cherished and longstanding relationships with community groups who fundraise on our behalf. Our supporters include golf clubs, Probus groups, dance clubs, op shops, church groups, individuals, families, businesses, and trusts and foundations.

Ideas for events include:

  • golf tournament or other sporting competition
  • cycling event
  • car boot sale
  • raffle
  • trivia night
  • dinner party.

We welcome proposals for fundraising event ideas and would be very pleased to discuss fundraising ideas with you or your community group.

Contact for more information

To find out more about our fundraising activities, or to sponsor or participate in an event, please contact:

Julie Tester, Donor Development Manager
Ph: +61 3 9345 2962
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

 

Special occasion giving

Milestones such as weddings, birthdays and anniversaries are all wonderful opportunities to celebrate. Encouraging your guests, family and friends to make a donation in your name is a unique way to commemorate the special events in your life.

Your gift will have an immediate and practical impact. It will help us continue our research into diseases like cancer, malaria, diabetes and coeliac disease.

How can you help?

  • Ask your guests to make a one-off donation in lieu of gifts to you. We can send you Special Occasion Donation envelopes to include with your invitations.
  • Make a one-off donation in lieu of gifts to your friends and family. We can help you create a gift card and message to let your family and friends know you have donated on their behalf.

Call us and we will be happy to talk with you about special occasion giving

Contact for more information

Julie Tester, Donor Development Manager
Ph: +61 3 9345 2962
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Give in memory

When someone close to us dies, giving a gift in their memory is a special way to remember them.

Making a donation to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in lieu of flowers in memory of a loved one honours them and ensures the continuation of vital medical research. A donation in memoriam will benefit patients for generations to come.

"In memoriam" envelopes can be supplied directly to your family, or to the funeral home handling the funeral arrangements. If you would like to arrange for delivery of 'In memoriam' envelopes, please call Catherine Axiaq on +61 3 9345 2961.

Funeral directors can contact the Institute to arrange delivery of envelopes and accompanying flyers, or for further information.

Acknowledging your gift

We appreciate you thinking of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research at this difficult time. Donations in memoriam will be acknowledged with a receipt and a thank you letter sent to every individual who makes a donation.

Family members of the deceased will also receive a thank you card notifying them of every person who has donated in your loved one's name.

Contact for more information

Julie Tester, Donor Development Manager

Ph: +61 3 9345 2962

Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Regular giving

Continued support is vital for our scientists to make discoveries that improve human health. Many donors find that making regular gifts to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute is a convenient way to support our mission of mastery of disease through discovery.

You can choose how much and how often you donate, and it will automatically be deducted from your credit card or bank account. Your gift can be general, meaning that we will direct it to projects that are not entirely financed by other support. You may also direct your gift towards a specific purpose, such as research into:

  • cancer
  • breast cancer
  • coeliac disease
  • malaria
  • immunology
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • type 1 diabetes 

Set up a regular donation to us

You can set up your regular gift online or by downloading our regular giving form (pdf). Donations to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of $2 and over are fully tax deductible.

Send complete forms to: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Reply Paid 84760, Parkville, Victoria 3052 (no stamp required) or fax the completed form to +61 3 9347 0852 or scan it and email it to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Acknowledgement

Before your first payment is deducted, you will receive a letter of acknowledgement, along with confirmation of your regular gift details. You will receive an annual donations summary for taxation purposes as well as updates on the institute’s research and invitations to public events and seminars.

Gifts over $1,000 will be acknowledged in the institute’s annual report. You can choose to remain anonymous.

Contact for more information

Julie Tester, Donor Development Manager
Ph: +61 3 9345 2962
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

A gift in your will

A gift of £2,500 in 1915 laid the foundations for the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Since then, the generosity of individuals who have made a gift (or bequest) in their will has helped us grow into the thriving medical research institute we are today.

A gift in your will is an important and special way of supporting our work to understand, prevent and treat diseases including cancer, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease and malaria.

We are committed to seeing our discoveries translated into tangible benefits for patients.

Making or amending a will

A gift in your will to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute helps us improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of some of the world's most devastating diseases. Cancer, malaria and HIV are just some of the diseases we are working to defeat.

A solicitor can prepare your will. When preparing your will details of your bequest should be made known in order to ensure your estate is properly distributed. If you have already made a will and wish to amend it to make a bequest to the institute, your solicitor can add a codicil, which is an instruction that becomes part of your will.

A gift in your will can take the form of:

  1. a percentage of your estate
  2. the residue of your estate
  3. a life insurance or superannuation policy
  4. a trust or named fund
  5. assets such as shares, property, artworks, jewellery etc

Suggested wording for a bequest

“I bequeath  _________  (insert option 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research to be applied for research purposes of the Institute (or as directed by the donor)”

or

“I bequeath _____ % of my residuary Estate to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research to be used for medical research, for which the receipt of the Company Secretary or other authorised officer shall be sufficient discharge to my Executor for the bequest.”

Prescribed private funds

Please consider including the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in your Model Deed when setting up your Prescribed Private Fund.

Contact information

Julie Tester, Donor Development Manager
Ph: +61 3 9345 2962
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

One-off donations

We are committed to seeing our discoveries translated into tangible benefits for patients. Your donation will help our scientists understand, prevent and treat diseases including cancer - particularly blood, breast, ovarian and lung cancers - type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease and malaria.

If you would like to help us immediately, you can make a donation:

Donations to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of $2 and over are fully tax deductible.

Gifts over $1,000 will be acknowledged in the institute’s annual report. You can choose to remain anonymous.

Thank you for your support.

Contact for more information

Julie Tester, Donor Development Manager
Ph: +61 3 9345 2962
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ways to give

There are many ways to support the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Every donation helps us improve the health of patients worldwide through our continuing research.

Support our Research

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute is the oldest medical research institute in Australia and will celebrate its centenary in 2015.

We are fortunate to have enjoyed the generous support of the community over the past 97 years. This support has helped us pursue our goal of understanding, preventing and treating diseases such as leukaemia, breast cancer, diabetes and malaria.

Our supporters range from individuals, to golf clubs, philanthropic organisations and government bodies. Every donation is vital in helping us work to improve the health, and lives, of patients worldwide.

There are many ways in which you can help support our research. Find out more about:

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