CENTRE FOR CANCER RESEARCH Centre Head: Associate Professor Ron Firestein
The Centre for Cancer Research scientists are tackling the most pressing challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of both adult and childhood cancers. The goal of the Centre for Cancer Research is to explain the fundamental mechanisms of tumour biology and to use these discoveries for the development of novel cancer therapies and biomarkers or indicators of cancer. The Centre’s research into the molecular mechanisms underlying tumour development and progression looks at the intricate relationship between the innate immune system and cancer. Using their expertise, researchers in the Centre develop sophisticated diagnostic tests that will enable early detection and more precise monitoring of ovarian, colorectal and prostate cancers.
Research Achievements 2015
Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia with over 130,000 new cases diagnosed every year. Despite recent improvements in cancer diagnosis and treatment, onethird of these patients will die due to the disease within five years.
A team led by Drs Tony Sadler and Dakang Xu and Professor Bryan Williams (Cancer and Innate Immunity group) discovered that a factor termed PLZF, originally identified to be involved in the development of a rare form of childhood leukaemia, plays a critical role in the important process of dampening inflammation, reducing it by restricting the expression of inflammatory gene products.
In 2015 world-renowned cancer researcher and clinician, Associate Professor Ron Firestein, joined the Centre for Cancer Research as the new head. A/Prof Firestein’s work focuses on identifying and developing personalised treatments for particular cancer types and has already lead to significant progress in cancer research. The opportunity to work in the Monash Health Translational Research Facility, where he can combine both his scientific and clinical expertise to accelerate this vital research, was fundamental to his decision to move to the Hudson Institute from the United States.
12 | HUDSON Annual Report 2015
A/Prof Ron Firestein’s Cancer Genetics and Functional Genomics group discovered an important genetic marker that predicts which patients respond to a new class of cancer drugs called BET inhibitors, which target the cancers on a genetic level.
Dr Kristy Brown was the recipient of a National Breast Cancer Foundation Career Development Fellowship aimed at supporting outstanding new investigators and expanding the scale and scope of breast cancer research in Australia. Dr Kristy Brown’s Metabolism and Cancer group discovered a new molecular link between obesity and breast cancer.