Identification Of Biomarkers Of Response And Toxicity To Chemoradiotherapy For Oesophageal Tumours
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$496,935.00
Summary
Chemoradiotherapy for oesophageal tumours has high interpatient variability in response and toxicity to treatment. Predictive biomarkers of response and toxicity would help select patients who would benefit most from this treatment modality. The proposed project will determine blood-derived microRNA and mRNA profiles that identify patients according to risk of unfavourable treatment outcomes, enabling clinicians to offer personalised alternative treatment strategies for those patients.
Telomere Length As A Biomarker In Paediatric Cancers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$121,025.00
Summary
Telomeres are the ends of chromosomes, and their length is important to maintain cell viability. We intend to set up a reliable test to measure telomere length and also use this measurement in childhood cancer patients to assess whether patients with shorter telomeres are more susceptible to the adverse effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Chemical And Structural Biology Validation Of Lamin B1 As A New Anti-cancer Target
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$638,272.00
Summary
The validation of new anti-cancer targets is critical for the development of new therapies. We have discovered a small molecule that disrupt the function Lamin B1 during cell division and decreases tumour growth significantly in vivo. With this research proposal, we will investigate the role that Lamin B1 exerts during cell division and why interfering with this protein has such a profound impact on cancer cells.
New Drugs To Counteract The Side Effects And Premature Ageing Caused By Chemotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$577,658.00
Summary
During cancer treatment, commonly used chemotherapy drugs cause profound side effects that include pain, nausea, heart problems, hair loss and can affect almost every system in the body. Even after chemotherapy treatment has stopped, cancer survivors face an increased risk of diseases which resemble the effects of old age. We are testing newly discovered anti-ageing molecules for their ability to reduce these side effects, and drastically improve the quality of life for cancer patients.
Phase III Trial Of Radical Chemo-radiation Vs Radiation Alone In The Management Of Localised Bladder TCC.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$194,875.00
Summary
This trial aims to see if the combination of Chemotherapy and Radiation treatment is indeed superior in eradicating the tumor and preserving the Bladder in a greater number of patients as compared to Radiation treatment alone. If the final results from this study do show chemoradiotherapy to be significantly superior to radiation alone, without an increase in morbidity ( especially long term side effects ) , this may lay the platform for a greater proportion of patients with localised bladder ca ....This trial aims to see if the combination of Chemotherapy and Radiation treatment is indeed superior in eradicating the tumor and preserving the Bladder in a greater number of patients as compared to Radiation treatment alone. If the final results from this study do show chemoradiotherapy to be significantly superior to radiation alone, without an increase in morbidity ( especially long term side effects ) , this may lay the platform for a greater proportion of patients with localised bladder cancer, being in the first instance considered for this organ( bladder) preserving approach something which has become a reality at a number of other sites of cancer with the use of multimodality treatment.Read moreRead less
DOCetaxel With Or Without Radiation Therapy For Resectable Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma Based On Early PET Response To Induction Chemotherapy (DOCTOR).
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,024,738.00
Summary
Oesophageal cancer continues to have poor survival despite surgery. Patients responding to pre-operative chemotherapy have better survival than those who do not. This study proposes using early FDG-PET scan to identify patients not responding to standard chemotherapy. This will permit the timely change of therapy to alternative regimens with a newer agent with or without radiotherapy, aiming to improve outcomes. This represents a paradigm shift in the management of oesophageal cancer.
Determining Patients And Doctors Preferences For Chemotherapy And Incorporating Them Into Clinical Decision-making
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$87,234.00
Summary
Chemotherapy improves survival in early lung cancer and advanced ovarian cancer but has significant side effects. Recent advances in chemotherapy have not been widely adopted because of differing opinions about whether the benefits of these treatments outweigh their harms. This research program will determine the benefits that patients and their doctors judge necessary to make these treatments worthwhile, and how best to incorporate this information into clinical discussions and decision-making.
Targeting Nerves In Tumours To Enhance Anti-cancer Immunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,090,190.00
Summary
The cancer journey is an incredibly stressful experience for patients. We discovered that stress stops immune cells and helps cancer spread. The goal of this study is to reveal how stress signals alter anti-cancer immunity and impacts cancer treatments. We will use elegant tools from neuroscience and immunology to define if blocking stress helps the immune cells that kill cancer and explore how blocking stress can improve standard anti-cancer drugs, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Optimising Regulatory T Cell Depletion In Combination With Chemotherapy For Enhanced Anti-tumour Immunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$264,816.00
Summary
The drug cyclophosphamide helps the immune system attack cancer by decreasing the number of immune cells that suppress an immune response to cancer ('Regulatory T cells'). This project combines standard chemotherapy with the drug cyclophosphamide in people with mesothelioma and lung cancer. The aim of the project is to find the dose of cyclophosphamide that maximally decreases Regulatory T cells in each patient, and determine the effect of this on anti-tumour immunity and response to treatment.
ALT-associated PML Bodies: Keys To The Biology And Treatment Of An Important Subset Of Cancers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$813,614.00
Summary
Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) is a molecular mechanism used by ~10% of cancers to sustain their relentless growth. ALT is common in sarcomas and brain tumours which are difficult to treat. ALT cancers contain nuclear structures called ALT-associated PML nuclear bodies (APBs) which may be part of the ALT machinery. This research will investigate characteristics of APBs and how they are formed, and will use this information to identify drugs to treat ALT tumours.