The NCRIS Health Group has granted Brain Cancer Biobanking Australia’s project almost $6 million AUD from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to establish a connected research platform network that will advance brain cancer research in Australia. The project aims to enhance patient results, evaluate novel therapies, and eventually find a cure for the disease.
The initiative aims to create three interconnected platforms that are crucial, by collaborating with healthcare specialists, clinicians, and researchers from different Australian institutions:
- The Australian Brain Cancer Registry is a program designed to gather information on the treatment and results of people with brain cancer in Australia. This data will be used by researchers to find any differences in how patients are treated and their outcomes, so that these issues can be addressed and the quality of care for all patients can be improved.
- The Registry Clinical Trials and Patient Enrolment Platform have been launched to facilitate the connection between brain cancer researchers and individuals living with the disease. The platform aims to expedite clinical trials and encourage patients to contribute their data and specimens for testing innovative approaches that could enhance patient survival, all while keeping costs low.
- The establishment of a Biobanking and Organoid Platform aims to develop standardized protocols for the biobanking of brain cancer samples and the creation of advanced brain tumor models known as Australian brain cancer organoids. This initiative is expected to provide the necessary resources to drive groundbreaking genomic research, which could lead to the discovery of new treatments for brain cancer in Australia.
The NCRIS Health Group will improve chances for collaboration in this significant national project by providing essential resources in biobanking, modeling, imaging and facilitating access to connected data, thereby enhancing research infrastructure.
Approximately 2,000 individuals in Australia are diagnosed with brain cancer annually. It is the most deadly cancer for children and adults below 40 years old, and its survival rate has remained unchanged for more than four decades.
A/Prof Lindy Jeffree, who chairs Brain Cancer Biobanking Australia, will be in charge of a significant nationwide partnership aimed at enhancing the quality of life for individuals in Australia who are affected by brain cancer.
“The significance of this grant cannot be overstated. These funds will enable our national team to establish an integrated network of research platforms that will not just be an Australian-first, but a world-first in brain cancer,” A/Prof Jeffree said.
