News Archive

Traditional clinical trials have been vital for improving cancer treatments for the last 70 years, but new data-driven approaches can enhance treatment for individuals and better allocate healthcare resources for everyone.

Precision medicine is taking us from a one-size-fits-all approach to using patient-specific information—including genomics, clinical and administrative data—to guide healthcare decisions tailored to a specific patient. It is driving improved outcomes through access to more effective treatments earlier, therefore reducing economic and health service burdens.

A new study has identified and characterized the contribution of a protein complex to tumour progression and metastasis in colorectal cancer.

Associate Professor Aung Ko Win, of our Precision Prevention and Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer group, has been named Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), a medical society dedicated to disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

A new study to improve colorectal cancer prevention for people with Lynch syndrome  has received funding from Cancer Council Victoria; led by researchers based at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research (UMCCR).

A study published in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology has found that the use of an electronic survey undertaken in GP waiting rooms is a practical way to identify patients at increased risk of melanoma, informing a more personalised and targeted approach to screening.

Mapping the human genome is revolutionising medicine. The aim? To turn cancer into a manageable, chronic disease like diabetes.

More than 1000 Victorian cancer patients are set to benefit from real-time genomic testing in the next three years, aiming to improve diagnosis and provide more targeted and effective treatments for cancers of unmet need.

The University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research (UMCCR) is delighted to welcome Professors Sarah-Jane and Mark Dawson to our group of university leaders committed to improving outcomes for people affected by cancer.

Dr Jennifer McIntosh and a team at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research have been awarded funding from the Victorian Cancer Agency to undertake a trial supporting bowel cancer prevention through increasing uptake in at-home ‘poo test kit’ screening via an SMS from GPs.

Scientists around the world have collaborated to create the most comprehensive map of whole cancer genomes to date, improving our fundamental understanding of cancer and how to treat it.

An international team has completed the most comprehensive study of whole cancer genomes to date, significantly improving our fundamental understanding of cancer and signposting new directions for its diagnosis and treatment.

Professor Jon Emery has been awarded funding from the Victorian Cancer Agency to undertake a trial supporting informed decision making in the use of aspirin to prevent bowel cancer.

Associate Professor Oliver Hofmann’s Genomics Platform Group at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research (UMCCR) have been responsible for the technical deployment of the Australian instance of PanelApp – a platform used to reach timely consensus in gene panel content for genetic tests through crowdsourcing.

Two innovative projects on colorectal cancer screening and treatment based at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research have received funding from Cancer Australia's 2019 Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme.

A new partnership between the University of Melbourne and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France, is providing PhD students with the opportunity to undertake a joint project, spending time at both leading international research organisations.

The Cancer Nursing Research Group at the University of Melbourne has developed a tailor-made postcard resource to people living metastatic breast cancer navigate the disease.

The concept of triage in emergency medicine has been around for centuries, but now Professor Jennifer Philip and team have developed a new tool to help triage those patients needing palliative care.

Two researchers from the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research (UMCCR) have received over $3.3 million from the NHMRC to support their innovative work in cancer research.

A new study is aiming to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of people with advanced cancer through timely and routine access to palliative care services.

Professor Jon Emery has contributed to a new study highlighting effective ways to improve care for people living with cancer by working on the communication between physicians and their patients.

Genomics generates vast troves of data. How should we deal with it? Associate Professor Oliver Hofmann is Head of Bioinformatics at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research, and co-leads an Australian Genomics key program area. He spoke to Australian Genomics on the challenges of creating universal systems to deal with vast amounts of genomic information.

Thanks to generous donations from Margaret and Irene Stewardson, two PhD students with the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research (UMCCR) have each received a scholarship to support them through their studies.

A new resource will help the 95 Victorians who are diagnosed with cancer each day access vital information, resources and services.

Whole-genome sequencing is changing the cancer treatment landscape, but we have to understand its use in the real-world to support a more sustainable, affordable health system.

“PanSupport has the credibility of the lived experience of those who contributed to it, and will give other people the strength to continue.” – Graham Wells, pancreatic cancer patient

Chemoprevention can help lower the risk of cancer, but clearly communicating the risks can help patients to make informed decisions about preventing the disease.

Professor Jennifer Philip – Chair of Palliative Medicine, Group Leader VCCC Palliative Medicine Research Group – discusses the importance of clinical and research collaboration, with real-world examples of success.

The University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research was delighted to welcome a delegation of officials and scientists from France led by the French Minister for Higher Education and Research, Professor Frédérique Vidal, to the University of Melbourne and Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre last week.

Advancement of women in medical research remains a challenge but there are several making amazing scientific breakthroughs in their fields.This International Women's Day, several MDHS academics share what Balance for Better means to them.

The University of Melbourne and Illumina, one of the world’s leading biotech companies, have announced a partnership that will enhance Melbourne’s reputation as a world-class biomedical precinct.

Professor Sean Grimmond spoke to 'Know Pathology Know Healthcare' on the need to further develop diagnostic tools for pancreatic cancer.

A new paradigm in cancer prevention – taking medication to reduce the risk of developing cancer (‘chemoprevention’) – is beginning to enter the realms of primary care for specific groups of patients.

Throughout her career, Professor Mei Krishnasamy has worked to improve the evidence base for cancer nursing care, particularly for people with rarer cancers.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne, University of Western Australia and their collaborators have found that by helping patients at high risk of lung cancer identify and monitor their symptoms, they are 40 per cent more likely to seek help from their doctor.

Research published in the International Journal of Cancer has found that there will be a 60% increase in deaths from colon cancer, and a 70% increase in deaths from rectal cancer, from 2013 to 2035 across 42 countries.

Based at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research, Dr Richard Tothill’s Rare Disease Oncogenomics Laboratory is exploring sequencing the entire genome of a cancer in the hope of revealing a mutation signature to determine its origin and improve treatment.

The Li Ka Shing Clinical Knowledge Exchange program is a partnership between the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research and Shantou University Medical College Affiliated Cancer Hospital.

In a paper published in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology, researchers at the University of Melbourne have explored features of skin lesions that can be used to identify which should be tested for a lack of the mismatch repair protein (MMR). The absence of MMR protein in skin lesions can be used to identify people with Lynch syndrome.

Two projects led by Professor Sean Grimmond and Associate Professor Frederic Hollande of the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research (UMCCR) and Department of Clinical Pathology have received over $1.6 million in funding, over three and four years respectively, through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Researchers from the University of Melbourne have contributed to the most comprehensive genome-wide association study, or GWAS, of colorectal cancer risk to date, published in Nature Genetics, which has discovered 40 new genetic variants and validated 55 previously identified variants that signal an increased risk of colon cancer.

Associate Professor Oliver Hofmann, Head of Bioinformatics, and Professor Louis Moresi, Chair of Earth Sciences (Geophysics), of the University of Melbourne, have been named Co-Chief Investigators on a $4.32 million collaborative grant for a project enabling access to a high-performance computing facility.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Australian males. While the high prevalence of metastatic prostate cancer is known, little attention has been given to the palliative care needs of these patients, who often experience significant symptom burden and deterioration in quality of life during the advanced stages of their illness.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne are working alongside patients and families affected by pancreatic cancer to develop a new supportive care resource, tailored specifically to their needs, to aid with symptoms, side effects and the day-to-day challenges they face.

A new web-based colorectal cancer screening tool is aiming to provide a more systematic and risk-appropriate approach to screening for the highly prevalent cancer.

The importance of family history as an indicator of future risk of colorectal (bowel) cancer has been highlighted by changes to the national guidelines from the prevention, early detection and management of the disease, according to the authors of a guideline summary published online today by the Medical Journal of Australia.

“What you’re really telling me is this is an opportunity to legally send poo to the government”. Rose Story from the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics interviews Professor Mark Jenkins for a special episode of Five Things About... Preventing Bowel Cancer.

Professor Sean Grimmond, Bertalli Chair in Cancer and Director of the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research, has been awarded an Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) Fellowship.

A University of Melbourne academic has been awarded a Victorian Cancer Agency Mid-Career Research Fellowship.

An Australia and New Zealand Melanoma Trials Group (ANZMTG) clinical trial led by Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre investigators, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research, that aims to develop a novel treatment combination for a rare neuroendocrine cancer has received $AU1.8m funding from the Medical Research Future Fund.

When it comes to caring for people with cancer, how clinicians talk about palliative care can make a huge difference to patients and their families. Professor Jennifer Philip's research, recently published in Palliative Medicine, found the power of language is particularly poignant when it comes to how clinicians talk about end of life care.

Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX.TLX) (“Telix”, the “Company”) has today announced a research collaboration with the University of Melbourne to investigate the use of targeted radiopharmaceuticals or “molecularly-targeted radiation” (MTR) to provide improved treatments for colorectal cancer patients.

A Clinical Knowledge Exchange program, led by the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research and funded by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, is enabling the transfer of clinical skills and expertise between Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) partners and the Shantou University Medical College Cancer Hospital in China.

Professor Mark Jenkins, Dr. Aung Ko Win and Dr. Jeanette Reece from the Colorectal Cancer Unit of the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics contributed to a new book "Hereditary Colorectal Cancer: Genetic Basis and Clinical Implications" published by Springer International Publishing in June 2018.

Congratulations to Professor Mei Krishnasamy, Chair in Cancer Nursing at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research and Research & Education Lead in Cancer Nursing for the VCCC, who has been recognised as a leader in cancer nursing with the Cancer Nurses Society of Australia Life Fellowship Award.

New research reveals many Australians aged 50 and over are putting their lives at risk by not taking part in a simple, painless bowel cancer screening test that is provided free - and taken in the privacy of their own homes.

A team from the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Cancer Research has just secured $12 million in research funding from the prestigious National Institutes for Health in the US.

Dr Harindra Jayasekara, a cancer epidemiologist at the Department of Clinical Pathology at The University of Melbourne and at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research at Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, has been awarded a Victorian State Government Early Career Seed Grant to further his research into developing genomic profiling to accurately discriminate those at high-risk of developing a second bowel neoplasm from those at low-risk.

Associate Professor Frederic Hollande from the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research met with the French Ambassador to Australia, H.E Mr Christophe Penot and Ms Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie, Honorary Consul General of France, as part of their visit to the University of Melbourne and Victorian Centre for Cancer Research (VCCC) in November.

A new initiative is successfully encouraging those at higher risk of lung cancer to act sooner when symptoms appear.

UMCCR investigator, Associate Professor Oliver Hofmann, is part of a new global 'learning health system' that will enable researchers to share genome sequencing data to investigate and diagnose genetic disorders, and ultimately pave the way for equitable delivery of genomic medicine.

Although technology may have changed the role of nurses, what they do for cancer care is more important than ever. By Professor Meinir Krishnasamy, inaugural Chair in Cancer Nursing at the University of Melbourne.

The Li Ka Shing Foundation will donate US$3 million (A$3.75 million) to a team of University of Melbourne researchers, working to turn cancer into a manageable chronic disease.

University of Melbourne researchers are leading a new effort to use genomics and personalised medicine against some of the most lethal cancers

Scientists uncover the genetic script that drives pancreatic tumours, opening the door on new personalised treatments for a deadly disease.

Professor Sean Grimmond is bringing groundbreaking genome-directed cancer research into the clinical space to change the way we treat cancer.

By Jon Emery : Professor of Primary Care Cancer Research, University of Melbourne