New High-risk Variants For Colorectal Cancer: The Post-GWAS Era
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$710,105.00
Summary
Our aim is to discover new genes that greatly increase bowel cancer risk. If we can identify these carriers we may be able to prevent them getting cancer. By studying DNA related to bowel cancer, using a novel family design, we will identify families most likely to carry the new genes. We will focus genetic testing, using new techniques, to look for mutations in these prioritised families. Identified mutations will be tested in a 3,500 bowel cancer cases to see how important they are.
The Role Of TAP And MHC Class I Expression In The Response To Melanoma Immunotherapy Using Autolgous Dendritic Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$337,811.00
Summary
Treatment for patients with malignant melanoma whose disease has spread, or metastasised, to sites distant from the original melanoma is usually unsuccessful. At this stage of the disease there is no known curative treatment with conventional surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Occasionally, however, melanoma in its early stages is successfully dealt with by the natural response of the immune system. In these cases, the immune system generates cancer-controlling killer T lymphocytes that enter t ....Treatment for patients with malignant melanoma whose disease has spread, or metastasised, to sites distant from the original melanoma is usually unsuccessful. At this stage of the disease there is no known curative treatment with conventional surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Occasionally, however, melanoma in its early stages is successfully dealt with by the natural response of the immune system. In these cases, the immune system generates cancer-controlling killer T lymphocytes that enter the melanoma and kill the tumour cells. Killer T lymphocytes are generated by the lymph glands when the immune system is presented with melanoma cell components, or antigens, by specialised cells known as dendritic cells. This project consists of a clinical trial that aims to boost the natural ability of the immune system to generate killer cells by growing dendritic cells from the blood, mixing them with melanoma antigens, and then inject the mixture. When injected into the skin, dendritic cells quickly move to lymph glands to generate killer T lymphocytes. T lymphocytes can find their way to melanoma deposits all over the body. The reasons for response or non-response to the vaccination will particularly be assessed in this project.Read moreRead less