The funding will support researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW to better predict breast cancer recurrence, develop new therapies and fast-track clinical trials.
The Garvan Institute of Medical Research at UNSW Sydney will lead a groundbreaking research program aiming to halve deaths from breast cancer following a $25 million investment from the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF).
Each year more than 21,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer and around 3300 Australians still die from the disease. For some of these people, breast cancer cells can hide quietly in the body, most commonly in the bone, reappearing years or even decades later. Around 15% of people will experience a recurrence of their breast cancer within 10 years, and this return can be life-threatening.
The Garvan Institute's 'AllClear' research team will study these cancer cells in the bone to understand how they hide, how they are different to cells in the primary tumour and why current treatments may fail.
The program will use an extensive clinical network and harness advanced technologies, including machine learning, molecular profiling and biomarker discovery, to more accurately predict cancer recurrence and develop and test new therapies.
AllClear lead at the Garvan Institute and Conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW Medicine & Health, Christine Chaffer, said the long-term goal was to halve deaths from breast cancer.
"AllClear brings unprecedented collaboration to identify the seeds of relapse early. It will allow us to develop the world's first and largest biobank of primary breast tumours paired with corresponding bone samples, collected at multiple stages throughout the course of the disease," A/Prof. Chaffer said.
This research will let us develop tools to predict who is most at risk of relapse and develop targeted therapies to eliminate these seeds of relapse, before they reawaken and cause metastatic breast cancer.
Professor Peter Croucher, Co-Director of the Cancer Plasticity and Dormancy Program at the Garvan Institute and Conjoint Professor at UNSW Medicine & Health, said the team had developed a method that allows them - for the first time - to find, isolate and study rare, dormant cancer cells from the bones of people with breast cancer.
"Studying these seeds of relapse will allow us to understand what is driving recurrence, which could transform how breast cancer is understood and treated and also help us understand other cancers, giving hope to more people," he said.
Historic investment in breast cancer research
NBCF's $25 million investment is the largest in the Foundation's history and is being awarded through its new Collaborative Research Accelerator (CRA) Grant program.
"This Collaborative Research Accelerator Grant is a bold and strategic investment in breast cancer research - international in scope and transformational in impact," said Adjunct Professor Helen Zorbas, who Chairs the NBCF.
"This is more than funding. It's a strategic catalyst for change, a powerful demonstration of Australia's research leadership and a vital step towards saving lives."
AllClear is enabled by Garvan's strategic collaboration with St Vincent's Hospital Sydney and UNSW. It is a collaboration of nearly 60 researchers across seven leading research institutes and organisations. This includes the University of Sydney, the University of Newcastle and Breast Cancer Trials, together with international partners including Yale and Washington University, and 11 hospitals across NSW.
The research program also incorporates the voices of people with lived experience of breast cancer and ensures diverse representation from metropolitan, regional, rural and multicultural communities.
"The AllClear program is unique in its size and scale across all elements of the research translation pipeline and represents a true bench-to-bedside research initiative," said Professor Benjamin Kile, Executive Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
Prof. Kile said NBCF's support would allow use of the full strength of Garvan's research, from expert knowledge in cancer, genomics and immunology.
"Together, these capabilities will turn discoveries into real-world impact, helping save lives from breast cancer. There's never been a more exciting time in breast cancer research," he said.
The CRA grant provides up to $25 million in funding over five years, with collaborating research organisations contributing a 20% co-investment.
