Cancer Council SA has announced today a $300,000 investment into three Adelaide University cancer research projects, each with the potential to change the way we treat cancer and save countless lives.
Adelaide University Professors Gregory Goodall, Daniel Thomas and David Waugh have each been awarded a $100,000 Cancer Council SA Research Project Grant to progress their research over the next 12 months. Professor Goodall and his team will investigate the molecular drivers behind neuroblastoma, a cancer typically diagnosed in children under five.
"Not all neuroblastomas are the same – different patients have different molecular drivers responsible for their cancers," Prof Goodall said. "At the moment, treatments are generic; it's chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and these are damaging to young children. It's essential we can find ways to specifically treat each individual type of neuroblastoma in a way that doesn't create future problems for the patient.
"Once we find a targeted therapy for a particular type of neuroblastoma, that's not just going to help current patients. It will help patients all through the future, so there's a lot of benefit that can come from discoveries in the lab."
Professor Thomas and his team are focused on finding treatments for cholangiocarcinoma with the IDH1 mutation – a form of bile duct cancer often diagnosed at an advanced stage with a poor survival rate. The team is investigating how this cancer's cells may be vulnerable to a natural fatty acid, which could offer a safer, lower-cost treatment option for patients.
Professor Waugh and his team are researching treatments for advanced prostate cancer by targeting the IKKalpha protein, which is known to fuel cancer growth and weaken the body's immune response.
The research will test drugs that target IKKalpha, both alone and alongside existing treatments, to improve the body's natural ability to fight cancer cells.
Cancer Council SA General Manager Mission Dr Peter Diamond said that cancer research drives progress and continued investment is essential to improving outcomes for generations to come.
“Every advancement in treatment and care has come as a direct result of investment in research and thanks to that investment, more people are surviving cancer than ever before,” Dr Diamond said.
“Cancer Council SA’s Research program has supported the state’s best researchers for many years, and these three grants form part of the more than $2 million we’ve already invested in local research this year across a range of cancer types.”