Professor Leonie Quinn, Canberra Brain Cancer Collaborative Lead and Research and Innovation Fund recipient
25 August 2023
Canberra Brain Cancer Collaborative has created Canberra’s first Brain Cancer Biobank.
Headed by Professor Leonie Quinn and her team, the collaborative has been able to develop this with a $300,000 grant awarded in the 2022 Research Innovation Fundround.
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’.
This allows them to analyse how tumours grow and respond to treatment, and to trial new therapeutic drugs tailored to each patient. It is hoped this will help develop new cancer treatments and improve clinical care.
“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,” Professor Quinn, Canberra Brain Cancer Collaborative Lead and Research and Innovation Fund recipient, said.
“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.”
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 Fund2023 have recently been announced, supporting early and mid-career Canberra health researchers.
The diverse research projects selected include enhancing post-diagnostic care for dementia patients, supporting community response to voluntary assisted dying, and studying allergies and immunodeficienciesof patients in the ACT.
For more information about the fund go to health.act.gov.au/research/centre-health-and-medical-research.
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