November 30, 2018

$100 million investment in new PBS listings to fight cancer

Peter Mac was delighted to host The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, to announce important changes to the PBS which will provide or improve subsidised access to life-changing cancer drugs.

Minister Hunt toured Peter Mac’s labs prior to the announcement on Friday,  speaking with Professor Keiran Harvey (pictured left in the above photo) about his research which is focused on Drosophilia flies. The flies have genes which are also seen in humans, the study of which can yield important insights into the fundamental drivers on cancer.

The minister also met with patients who will directly benefit from the drug listings.

From December 1, patients with certain forms of leukaemia, advanced tumours of the intestine and pancreas, melanoma, bowel cancer and ovarian cancer.

More about the Peter Mac Centre

Peter Mac is one of the world’s leading cancer research, education and treatment centres globally and is Australia’s only public hospital solely dedicated to caring for people affected by cancer. We have over 2,500 staff, including more than 580 laboratory and clinical researchers, all focused on providing better treatments, better care and potential cures for cancer.

More about Prof Kieran Harvey

Professor Kieran Harvey is interested in the fundamental biological question of organ size control. His laboratory focuses on how deregulation of signalling networks that control organ size contributes to cancer, employing multiple model systems including the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster.

More about Prof Rick Pearson

As head of the Pearson Laboratory, a major focus of Professor Pearson’s research is to understand the molecular basis of the regulation of ribosome biogenesis and cell growth and to use this knowledge to address how deregulation of these processes contributes to cancer. His laboratory has recently demonstrated that dysregulation of ribosome biogenesis is critical in the development of cancers of the blood, ovary and skin and can be directly targeted using inhibitors of ribosome biogenesis to treat cancer. His laboratory now plans to build on this research, to develop of a novel class of anti-cancer agents targeting ribosome biogenesis, providing new options for single agent and combination therapies for these cancers.
Minister Hunt in the middle of 6 people all smiling for the camera

This article is sourced from our Proud Precinct Partner, Peter Mac Centre

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Minister Hunt, Prof Rick Pearson and Prof Kieran Harvey at the Peter Mac Centre.