Australian National University researchers have established Canberra’s first Brain Cancer Biobank with their ACT Health Research Innovation Fund grant.
Canberra Brain Cancer Collaborative, headed by Professor Leonie Quinn and her team, created the biobank using the $300,000 grant awarded in the 2022 Research Innovation Fund round.
The biobank stores brain cancer biospecimens and genomic data from patients treated at Canberra Hospital. It contributes to Brain Cancer Biobanking Australia, a virtual biobank hub that allows researchers around the country to access brain cancer tissue, samples, and data.
The information gathered by the biobank enables researchers at ANU’s John Curtin School of Medical Research to create 3D bio-printed ‘mini brains’, allowing them to analyse how tumours grow and respond to treatment, and to trial new therapeutic drugs tailored to each patient.
“While survival for many cancers has increased significantly in the past two decades, outcomes for brain cancer patients has remained poor,” Professor Quinn said.
“The ACT Health Research Innovation Fund has provided us with an exciting opportunity to explore the complex environment where brain cancer occurs and ultimately develop new treatments.”
“The biobank will enable more personalised treatments, which are critical to improving survival rates and quality of life for people diagnosed with the disease. It will secure the ACT as a health research hub and improve the clinical experience of cancer patients around Australia.”
ACT health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the biobank will help develop new cancer treatments and improve clinical care.
“Canberrans with brain cancer will have the opportunity to receive cutting-edge analysis of their cancer, for the first time, which will help their health care team direct them to current clinical trials and emerging treatments,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“This biobank is another great example of the ACT Government’s strategic plan for research in the health system helping our workforce deliver better outcomes for patients.
“Focusing on research investment is one of the many ways the ACT Government is establishing a learning health system and positioning the ACT as a national leader in health research and innovation.”
The Research and Innovation Fund is guided by Better Together: A strategic plan for research in the ACT health system 2022-2030.
Five fellowships through the Research Innovation Fund 2023 have recently been announced, supporting early and mid-career Canberra health researchers. The research projects include enhancing post-diagnostic care for dementia patients, supporting community response to voluntary assisted dying, and studying allergies and immunodeficiencies of patients in the ACT.
For more information about the fund, go to health.act.gov.au/research/centre-health-and-medical-research.
