03 – Cancer

The multi-site, multi-disciplinary VCCC Alliance aims to reduce the burden of cancer in the community by creating an international centre of research,  clinical care and teaching excellence. In 2012, the VCCC Alliance members recruited approximately 70% of all cancer patients involved in Victorian clinical trials.

 

Advancing areas of strength

  • Discovery of new cancer therapies across major tumour streams including for brain cancer.
  • Cancer genomics and personalised medicine program − tailoring healthcare to the individual patient.
  • Cancer immunotherapies − a unique treatment modality for cancer.
  • Precision oncology − coordination of genomics, pathology, oncology and surgery at a size and scale that allows decisions about clinical care of patients to be made in a timely way.
  • Precision prevention and tailored screening − developing ways to predict risk for individuals and prevent cancer from developing in the first place.
  • Response and resistance to targeted therapies − to understand the biology of why therapies work well in some patients but are not effective in others.
  • Clinical trials research − a key element for diagnosing, treating and preventing cancer is to test new approaches in a rigorous clinical environment with well-designed trials.

A landmark research discovery made at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute has resulted in Venetoclax, a potent new anti-cancer drug. Clinical trials have delivered outstanding results for patients. One study saw remission in patients with an advanced form of leukaemia, for whom conventional treatment options had been exhausted.