Posted: 13 July 2023
Professor Mark Dawson, Head of Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory at Peter Mac has been awarded a Translational Research Program (TRP) grant worth USD $750,000 to further his research to help overcome acquired resistance to anti-cancer cellular immunotherapies, such as CAR T-cell therapy.
The prestigious TRP grant is an international collaboration with funding from the US Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Snowdome Foundation and the Leukaemia Foundation. The grant is designed to fund innovative research projects that propose novel approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of blood cancers and which show high promise for translating basic biomedical knowledge to clinical application.
Professor Dawson said this team has developed cutting-edge, pre-clinical models that simulate resistance to CAR T-cell therapy.
“By harnessing the power of the models, we aim to uncover the intrinsic properties of cancer cells that enable them to evade new cellular therapies, paving the way for the design and development of novel therapeutic approaches,” he said.
“We are thrilled for Professor Dawson, whose submission has been internationally recognised as one of the top global blood cancer research projects of 2023,” said Snowdome Foundation Chief Executive, Kirstee Macbeth.
“His research investigating immune evasion of CAR T-cells, has the potential to further enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy, now recognised as a key pillar of cancer treatment and one that can benefit Australian blood cancer patients.”
More than 135,000 Australians are living with a blood cancer, myeloma, leukaemia or lymphoma today and the incidence is rising. The research conducted by Professor Dawson and his team will hopefully help find a cure.
If you would like to donate to fund more research please visit the Peter Mac Foundation at www.foundation.petermac.org
