Hudson Institute scientists will share expertise with leading international research institutions to progress research and improve treatments for children and adolescents with brain cancer.
Hudson Institute has been announced as the first Australian member of the US-based Children’s 
Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium (CBTTC) and joins a collaborative, multi-institutional research program dedicated to the study and treatment of childhood brain tumours.
Our scientists will work alongside 15 institutions from the US, Europe and China, including Weill Cornell Medicine, Stanford University and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, combining knowledge to discover cures.
Associate Professor Ron Firestein, Head of Hudson Institute’s Centre for Cancer Research, says the consortium enables scientists from across the world to pool data from the collection and analysis of high-quality brain tumour biopsy specimens.
“While geographically we may work on opposite sides of the world, as researchers, our ultimate aim is the same – to improve treatment outcomes for paediatric brain cancer patients and their families,” A/Prof Firestein says.
“Our scientists will share local expertise in developing patient-derived tumour models and drug/genomic screens with leading institutions, to identify ways to better treat young patients and save lives.”
Hudson Institute expertise
A/Prof Firestein says Hudson Institute’s strengths in paediatric cancer include its expertise in developing clinically relevant ‘avatar’ models of patients’ tumours and its clinical collaborations with Monash Children’s Hospital.
“Our tumour cell lines can be used to test hundreds of new or existing drugs on a model of an individual patient’s tumour in the laboratory, to determine how effective a treatment is before it reaches the patient. As researchers, we are also working directly with oncologists to respond to clinical need,” he explained.
Childhood Cancer Research Symposium
Members of the consortium will be keynote speakers at a Childhood Cancer Research Symposium that will be hosted by Hudson Institute in February 2018.
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