Researchers are preparing for the arrival of a new state‑of‑the‑art instrument that will accelerate studies into some of the most aggressive cancers.
University of Newcastle Professor Nikki Verrills from HMRI's Precision Medicine Research Program secured a $600,000 Cancer Institute NSW Research Equipment Grant to purchase the CellenONE instrument.
The new technology carefully picks out single living cells so researchers can study them one at a time. The equipment is set to expand the team's capabilities in single‑cell analysis and help uncover why some cancers return after treatment.
By isolating and studying individual living cells with exceptional precision, the instrument will provide insights into the behaviour of the most resilient tumour cells.
"By allowing us to study the cells that escape therapy, this technology will help us uncover why relapse occurs and how we can prevent it," Professor Verrills said.
Tumours contain a complex mix of cancer cells, immune cells, supportive cells and treatment‑resistant cells that survive therapy. Together, these components form the tumour microenvironment, which plays a critical role in how cancers grow, respond to treatment and recur.
Professor Verrills' team, working with co‑investigators Dr Heather Murray and Associate Professor Heather Lee, will use CellenONE to identify and analyse treatment‑resistant cells. They will also map the full landscape of cells within a tumour across several hard‑to‑treat cancers, including acute myeloid leukaemia and metastatic breast cancer.
Professors Matt Dun and Hubert Hondermarck will also use the CellenONE instrument to study diffuse midline glioma and glioblastomas.
"The greatest challenge in curing cancer is understanding its full complexity," Professor Verrills said.
"Using this state-of-the-art equipment will bring us closer to personalised treatments and improved outcomes for people with the most aggressive and hard‑to‑treat cancers."
The CellenONE machine will arrive in late February and be installed in HMRI's Flow Cytometry lab.
Professor Verrills is one of three researchers to secure a Cancer Institute NSW Research Equipment Grant in its latest funding round.
HMRI is a partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and the community.
