Designing a solution

Issue 20 | Spring/Summer 2007

Report: Steve Pogonowski

The Victorian College of Pharmacy, based at the University's Parkville campus is part of the team combating some of our greatest medical challenges.

Cancer is a massive worldwide personal, social and economic burden. One in three Australians develop cancer before they turn 75. There are more than 88,000 new cases reported each year, claiming 36,000 lives.

Research into new drugs for cancer treatment received a major boost this year with the announcement of a multi-million dollar project involving Victorian College of Pharmacy staff and researchers based at Monash University's Parkville campus.

Funded by the Federal government and industry groups, the Cooperative Research Centre for Cancer Therapeutics (CRC-CT) will receive almost $38 million from the Commonwealth CRC scheme to enable a $148 million drug discovery program.

College Dean Professor Bill Charman said the centre would focus on development of high quality new therapies in critical areas including disrupting blood vessels that feed cancers, thereby preventing the ability of cancer cells to spread; treatments to minimise the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and overcoming resistance of tumours to chemotherapies.

"The CRC for Cancer Therapeutics will further enhance Australia's position as a significant international player in anticancer drug discovery and will provide a means to capitalise on the tremendous advances made in understanding the biology of cancer by Australian and international scientists," Professor Charman said.

The CRC will link several of Australia's leading research organisations including the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, St Vincent's Research Institute, Griffith University and the CSIRO. Industrial partners include Bionomics and successful British cancer technology company CRT. College scientists, including Professors Bill Charman, Colin Pouton and Peter Scammells and Associate Professor Susan Charman will be core members of the CRC's drug design teams.

For more information, please visit the Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation web page.