Blood cancers: Research & Insights

Introduction

Our researchers are working to understand why blood cancers arise, and developing better treatments. Our goal is to improve the survival of people with blood cancer.

Our blood cancer research

WEHI’s research into blood cancer spans from investigating the molecules that drive blood cancers through to drug development and testing, and involvement in clinical trials.

We particularly focus on:

Defining the genetic and molecular changes that cause blood cancers
Uncovering how blood cancers become resistant to treatment
Discovering molecular targets in blood cancers
Developing and testing new drugs to treat blood cancers
Undertaking pre-clinical and clinical studies of new therapies for blood cancer.

WEHI’s blood cancer research spans more than 60 years and has underpinned the development of new medicines that have improved treatment for millions of patients.

Above: Clinician scientist Dr Mary Ann Anderson is focussing on new treatments for blood cancers

Key discoveries made by WEHI’s blood cancer researchers include:

What are blood cancers?

Our research focuses on a number of different types of blood cancers:

Support for people with blood cancers

Related research areas

Epigenetics

Our epigenetics researchers aim to unravel how epigenetic changes influence healthy and diseased cells, with a goal of better treatments for diseases.

Cell signalling

Our research into cell signalling aims to understand how different signals are transmitted, and their relevance to disease.

Cell death

Failure of cells to die, or cells dying when they shouldn’t, can lead to or exacerbate many diseases.

Cancer biology

Cancer occurs when cells develop changes that allow them to grow uncontrollably. Our cancer biology researchers are working to understand what causes these changes.