- New tissue biobank: UniSC will establish a biobank of living tissue donated by Sunshine Coast bowel cancer patients under 50.
- Early-onset cancer research: Stored specimens will help researchers investigate environmental and lifestyle factors linked to rising bowel cancer rates.
- 3D tumor models: Researchers will use biobanked tissue to develop miniature cancer models for testing potential new treatments.
The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) is establishing a human tissue biobank as part of a $2.5 million research project investigating the growing incidence of bowel cancer among younger Australians.
The biobank will be developed at the Sunshine Coast Health Institute (SCHI) and will collect living tissue donated by Sunshine Coast patients under 50 who are diagnosed with bowel cancer.
The initiative is expected to be the first biobank of its kind in Australia and will form part of a broader three-year collaboration examining why bowel cancer is increasingly affecting younger people.
Investigating the Causes Behind Rising Cancer Rates
Researchers will use the biobanked tissue to investigate whether changes associated with modern living are contributing to the increase in early-onset bowel cancer.
Potential factors under investigation include increased antibiotic use, microplastics, chemicals, bacterial toxins, lifestyle changes and other environmental exposures.
UniSC cancer biologist Dr Lochlan Fennell, who will develop the biobank, said, “Over the past two decades, there has been a 200 percent jump in the incidence of early-onset bowel cancer in Australia and we are working to identify the causes behind this trend.”
The researchers plan to compare contemporary early-onset bowel cancers with cancers diagnosed in previous decades to determine how potential risk factors may have changed over time.
Biobanked Tissue to Enable Advanced Tumor Research
Beyond preserving patient tissue, the biobank will provide researchers with biological material for laboratory-based investigations into how early-onset bowel cancer develops and progresses.
Fennell said, “We hope that analysing the tissue stored in the biobank will help us better understand how risk factors have changed over time, as well as how the disease develops and progresses.”
The research team will also use tissue from the biobank to grow miniature three-dimensional cancer tumors in the laboratory. These models could provide a platform for evaluating potential treatments and studying tumor biology under controlled conditions.
Integrating Clinical Samples With Research
Sunshine Coast Health clinicians will invite eligible patients receiving treatment for early-onset colorectal cancer to consider donating tissue to the biobank.
Dr Michael Allen, acting Medical Director of Medical Oncology at Sunshine Coast Health, said, “Sunshine Coast Health is already caring for patients with early-onset colorectal cancer through facilities at Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Nambour and Gympie, enabling a seamless integration with the scientific program with UniSC.”
The clinical-research connection could allow tissue collected during routine patient care to contribute to studies investigating disease causes, progression and treatment strategies.
Sunshine Coast Health has reported an approximately 15 percent increase in colorectal cancer diagnoses over the past five years, alongside a steady increase in younger patients. This year, patients under 40 account for about 8 percent of colorectal cancer diagnoses at the health service.
Building a Resource for Future Cancer Research
The wider collaboration is led by Associate Professor Dan Buchanan, head of the Colorectal Oncogenomics Group at the University of Melbourne. The project aims to determine whether newer environmental and lifestyle exposures are contributing to the changing pattern of bowel cancer among Australians under 50.
Buchanan said, “We think that new exposures, chemicals and bacterial toxins related to modern living are causing the increase in early-onset bowel cancer.”
He added that comparing present-day early-onset tumors with those diagnosed decades ago could help researchers identify changes in risk factors over time.
The three-year project is jointly funded by Cancer Australia and the National Health and Medical Research Council. By establishing a dedicated human tissue resource, the initiative could provide researchers with valuable biospecimens for studying the biology of early-onset bowel cancer and evaluating potential approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
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