Category: Cancer community

ACRF & The Centenary Cancer Research Centre provide much needed hope for sarcoma patients

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ACRF together with the Centenary Cancer Research Centre provide hope for sarcoma patients

 

On the 30th May, I had the pleasure of attending an Australian Cancer Research Foundation function, where key speaker, was Professor Phillip Hogg, Director, Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) Centenary Cancer Research Centre, Centenary Institute, spoke at length about PENAO, which is an experimental anti-cancer drug which he invented.After searching the globe for experimental treatments for our son Cooper, which showed signs of efficacy for rare cancers such as sarcoma, it was indeed a relief to finally hear there has been headway made in this crucial and much needed area of research.

PENAO has recently completed a Phase I clinical trial in patients with solid tumours at three hospitals in Australia.  It inhibits an enzyme central to sugar metabolism in tumour cells called mTOR, and combines very well with another mTOR inhibitor, everolimus.  Everolimus is an approved cancer drug.  Together, these drugs deplete cancer cells of mTOR.

A Phase I/II trial of PENAO in youths and adults with sarcomas that have an activated mTOR pathway based on mutation analysis is being planned.

mTOR pathway aberrations include PIK3CA mutation, biallelic PTEN loss, TSC2 mutation, Akt mutation, etc.  The Phase I component is 2 x IV PENAO dosing per week to define the Phase II dose.  The Phase II component is PENAO + oral everolimus.

ACRF funding helped establish a world class Centre for Basic and Translational Cancer Research on the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital site. This state-of-the-art facility houses the basic and translational research components of a Comprehensive Cancer Centre (only the second in Australia). The new centre extended the reach of basic biological research on cancer and its translation into cancer prevention and control.

The Centre was officially opened in March 2016.

Grant applications - ACRF this year will include:

  1. 2018 $10M Major grant
  2. 2018 Annual grant

The Cooper Rice-Brading are proud to provide our continued support the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.

Trump signs ‘Right to Try,’ says it will save ‘tremendous number of lives’

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Please take the time to read this very relevant development in the United States, which will make a quantifiable difference to those patients who have exhausted mainstream treatment options.

This process in Australia, can take many weeks to facilitate, and this is time a terminally ill patient does not have.

Despite our political persuasions, this is a positive step forward for a marginalised group currently without a voice.

Garvan Institute – Sarcoma Research

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Using whole-genome sequencing to research deeply into our DNA has led to the discovery that all disease is linked to genetic mutations so that instead of trying to treat disease symptoms, we can now target the mutations causing them. This is personalised medicine.  Read more about the outstanding work of the Garvan Institute, providing untold hope for sarcoma patients.

https://www.garvan.org.au/research/diseases/sarcoma/research

Therapeutic target for Ewing sarcoma

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The sarcoma research group of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), led by Dr. Òscar Martínez-Tirado, has identified a potential new therapeutic target for Ewing sarcoma, the second most frequent bone cancer in children and adolescents, and a tumour known by its aggressiveness and tendency to metastasise.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20180405/Researchers-discover-potential-new-therapeutic-target-for-Ewing-sarcoma.aspx

ASSG 2018 Sarcoma Research Grants

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ASSG Research Grants 2018

ASSG have four grants on offer funded by generous donors, and are awarded for direct research costs. Selection criteria include track record and project feasibility, innovation and excellence. Please click on the links below for individual grant information.

The Johanna Sewell Sarcoma Research Grant $50,000 for one year

The Leon Stone Sarcoma Research Grant $20,000 for one year

The Xavier Krikori Sarcoma Research Grant $20,000 for one year

The Hannah’s Chance Sarcoma Research Grant $30,000 for one year

 

http://www.australiansarcomagroup.org/2018-sarcoma-research-grants.html

Making a lifetime of difference…

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February 16, 2018

Imagine holding the same position for almost fifty years?  And then imagine that position is one of the toughest and most mentally taxing professional disciplines on offer?

Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Keith Cox OAM, or ‘Saint Keith’ as Coop used to refer to him as, is a truly unique and wonderful individual by anybody’s standards, and for 48 years, he has provided untold hope, professionalism and guidance, throughout a cancer journey, for those who are afraid, alone, uncertain, and everything in between.

 

Dr Richard Boyle (L)   Cooper Rice-Brading (Centre)   Keith Cox OAM (R)

Photograph courtesy – Chris O’Brien Lifehouse

 

Oncology is a mentally challenging, tough, and often thankless specialty, and it serves to make Keith’s 48 years of dedication to making the lives of cancer patients bearable, truly extraordinary.

For those of you wondering what an oncology nursing practitioner is, Keith’s position was a highly specialised midway point between a doctor and a nurse, and as such, for those cancer patients who have been blessed to be under his care, his role was a critical one.  It bridged the gap, and often for the patient, it was often the difference between a very good day and a very bad one.  The stories about Keith’s willingness to smooth the rough waters for those patients blessed to have been assigned to his care, are so numerous, they would require a sizeable book to record them.

Cooper, a child anxious about what lay ahead, masked in a grown man’s 6 foot 2 physique, met Keith on day one at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, and developed an immediate connection with him, as all patients did.  This warm, calm, unassuming, gentle individual, remained with Coop throughout his treatment, and provided untold comfort during the particularly tough times, of which there were many.  He and Coop joked about many things, debated treatment options, together with ‘best practice’ (Coop was often caught turning his drip rate up to suit his sporting schedule), and everything in between.  Coop looked forward to the day when his treatment was over, and he could return as a volunteer for Keith, as he felt he had Keith’s role ‘covered’, and his contribution would be significant.  Life as we know it, rarely goes as we plan.

I can only now, imagine how with the passing of each patient Keith has opened his heart to, has resulted in the great personal sense of loss he must feel for each, yet we often overlook this impact when we are immersed in grief ourselves.  How difficult it must have been for him to face the families of the patients who do not make it out the other side?  His attachment to each was obvious – it was never a case of just another patient.  He has done this and so much more, for almost five decades, and has continuously found a way to make a difference in so many lives, and in so many different ways.

Asking Keith to join the CRBF Board, was a very easy decision.  He embodies every quality we envisage our Board members will have, together with an intimate knowledge of what is required to truly make a difference in the lives of sarcoma patients everywhere.  He was though, first and foremost, Coop’s great mate.

Keith, we wish you all the wonderful things life can bring now you are in retirement, and hopefully,  you can finally find time to reflect on your outstanding contribution to the world of cancer, and it may even see you contmeplating the notion of finally putting yourself first – every now and again…

Watch Keith’s story as told by Carrie Bickmore, on The Project.

https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/extra/season-9/healthcare-hero