Projects to improve outcomes for leukaemia patients and reduce skin cancer rates in young Aboriginal people have received funding through Cancer Council WA.
Three researchers will each receive nearly $140,000 via The Cancer Research Project Grants, enabling their teams to advance critical public health research.
Dr Sebastien Malinge received funding to lead a project aimed at improving outcomes for children with Down syndrome who develop leukaemia. These children face higher rates of leukaemia and worse side effects than other kids, compounded by additional health challenges.
The project will explore how genetic differences linked to Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) alter the bone marrow environment where leukaemia grows, affecting the immune response and the effectiveness of treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Dr Malinge is also a collaborator alongside The Kids' and UWA Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Jesse Armitage on another successful CCWA project, led by UWA, investigating a novel immunotherapy approach to treat leukaemia.
This research focuses on enhancing the cancer-fighting ability of natural killer cells, a type of immune cell with the natural capacity to destroy cancer.
Honorary team member of the Cancer Centre, Dr Francois Rwandamuriye, received a grant for his project which aims to develop safer, less toxic, and more effective mRNA-based immunotherapies that can be applied at the time of surgery to boost the local immune system. The immunotherapy mops up any remaining tumour cells, preventing cancer recurrence.
Professor Asha Bowen, Head of the Healthy Skin team at the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious diseases, received almost $140,000 for vital research promoting sun smart choices and skin cancer prevention among young Aboriginal people.
Co-led by Dr Heather-Lynn Kessaris, Western Australia’s first Aboriginal Dermatology trainee from the Alawa and Mara language groups in the Northern Territory, the Ngangk Ngabala Ngoonda (Sun Safety) of Aboriginal young mob of WA aims to increase awareness of skin cancer risk for Aboriginal youth.
A recent study conducted by the Institute’s Healthy Skin team identified that only 40-60 per cent of Aboriginal kids living in urban areas were following two of the five recommended sun-safe strategies such as wearing sun protective clothing and applying sun cream.
The Cancer Research Project Grants are co-funded by the Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation Fund and Cancer Council Western Australia.
Read the WA Government’s media release read here.