$15 million for new

cancer fighting research centre

Australia has a new frontier technology centre that is set to revolutionise drug development for metastatic prostate cancer and childhood neuroblastoma.

 

The Australian Centre for Targeted Therapeutics (ACTT) has been awarded $15 million from the Federal Government's Medical Research Future Fund’s Frontier Health and Medical Research initiative for ground breaking research that will revolutionise drug development with next-generation medicines to treat prostate and childhood cancer.

18 October 2023

 

THE Federal Government is funding ground breaking research that will revolutionise drug development for prostate and childhood cancer.

 

150,000 Australians are diagnosed with cancer every year. Most of them will be treated with drugs developed over 25 years ago, many of which may have severe side-effects.

 

While research has uncovered many of the underlying drivers of cancer, about 80 per cent of all disease-causing proteins have been considered “undruggable”.

 

The ACTT will develop new “protein degrader” technology to create next-generation cancer medicines with greater efficacy and fewer side effects, as well as treatments for many illnesses that were previously thought to be untreatable.

 

The ACTT will kickstart a new biotech sector to put Australia at the forefront of this emerging technology. It is a collaboration between the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, the Children’s Cancer Institute and Monash University.

 

The funding is part of the Medical Research Future Fund’s Frontier Health and Medical Research Initiative, which is providing $700 million over ten years to keep Australia at the forefront of medical research globally.

 

Minister for Health Mark Butler said “The Albanese Government is proud to provide $15 million in funding to put Australia at the forefront of this very promising medical technology."

 

“These revolutionary treatments prove once again that Australian medical researchers are among the best in the world."

 

“Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and neuroblastoma tragically claims the lives of more children under 5 than any other cancer."

 

“This technology promises cancer treatments that are more effective, with fewer side effects."

 

“We are living through a supercharged period of discovery, with new technologies and treatments opening up the possibility of longer, healthier and happier lives.”

 

Next-generation treatments for neuroblastoma and prostate cancer are a positive step forward.

 

Neuroblastoma is a childhood cancer that claims more lives of children under five than any other cancer. Children diagnosed with neuroblastoma face gruelling treatment, and less than half of those with high-risk disease will survive.

 

Children who respond to treatment often face life-long side effects including hearing loss, learning difficulties, heart conditions, growth and hormonal deficiencies, infertility and secondary cancers.

 

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men, and the second most common cause of cancer death for men in Australia. Current treatments for prostate cancer are invasive and involve significant side effects that greatly affect quality of life, but do not eliminate the cancer. PIn Australia, the risk of getting prostate cancer by the age of 75 is 1 in 7 men. By the age of 85, this increases to 1 in 5.¹ Early diagnosis and treatment can mean a positive outcome for many.

 

The five-year survival rate for patients diagnosed with advanced disease is about 30%, with more than 3000 Australian men dying from advanced prostate cancer each year.

 

The ACTT will take advantage of top Australian cancer experts and research to progress targeted protein degrader treatments for neuroblastoma and prostate cancer towards clinical trials.

 

Professor Michelle Haber AM, Executive Director of Children’s Cancer Institute, said, “Currently there are extremely limited treatment options for children with aggressive neuroblastoma, with current treatment drugs highly toxic and often ineffective.

 

“Through this unique collaboration and new technology, we now have a very exciting opportunity to develop a different type of treatment for neuroblastoma − one that works by degrading a specific protein, which our research has shown is key to driving this cancer’s growth.

 

“By targeting and degrading this protein in cancer cells, this new treatment will be far less harmful to healthy cells, meaning that more children survive with fewer side-effects.

 

“For parents of children with aggressive neuroblastoma this offers hope, where previously survival rates for these children have been dismal.”