Hudson Institute welcomes childhood cancer pledge
By Rob Clancy, staff writer
As a global leader in the field of childhood cancer research, Hudson Institute of Medical Research welcomes the Victorian Government’s pledge to invest $35 million in this area of vital need.
CEO, Professor Elizabeth Hartland, said that along with an additional $10M from the Children’s Cancer Foundation, these funds will ensure continuity and extension of our life-saving work as a proud co-leader of the Victorian Paediatric Cancer Consortium (VPCC).
Childhood cancer pledge provides certainty
“Our scientists and clinicians are doing incredible, life-changing work, but too much of their time is spent outside the lab in the search for new sources of funding, so support like this provides the certainty they need to keep striving for the next research breakthrough.” Prof Hartland said.
“We are working toward new, personalised treatments for the nearly 1,000 Australian children – almost half of them under five – who are diagnosed with cancer every year.
“Together, the VPCC’s researchers, doctors and families of kids with cancer deliver research with real-world impact, better medical care, and improved training for the researchers and clinicians of the future.” she said.
Head of Hudson Institute’s Centre for Cancer Research, Professor Ron Firestein and his team are at the forefront of the VPCC’s childhood cancer discovery efforts.
Identifying more precise treatments
“This funding will enable our team to conduct innovative screens to identify more precise and less toxic treatments for children with cancers of poorest outcome.” he said.
“The power of this consortium approach is that we are working side-by-side with researchers and clinicians across Victoria to accelerate the delivery of these treatments to patients,” he said, “So we welcome this funding pledge and look forward to putting it to good use.”
VPCC members are drawn from eight clinical, research and academic partners | Hudson Institute of Medical Research, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Monash Children’s Hospital, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Monash University, the University of Melbourne, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, WEHI, underpinned by the efforts and generosity of the Children’s Cancer Foundation.
Childhood cancer facts
- Cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease.
- Each year almost 1,000 Australian children are diagnosed with cancer and 5,600 are undergoing treatment.
- For every ten children diagnosed, two will not survive.
- Most children who survive cancer will suffer long-term (sometimes life-long) health issues due to current therapies.
- Hudson Institute is a world leader in the field, building capacity and sustainability for paediatric cancer research by cultivating local, national and international partnerships, supporting educational events and training the childhood cancer leaders of tomorrow.
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e: communications@hudson.org.au
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