The Victorian Cancer Biobank has received a $6m funding boost through the Victorian Cancer Agency to facilitate ‘bench to bedside’ research.
Monash Health is a member of the Victorian Cancer Biobank consortium, along with four other Melbourne health services and Cancer Council Victoria.
The funding, which will be received over three years, will allow the Victorian Cancer Biobank to continue its vital work collecting biospecimens of cancer tissue, blood and clinical data for research studies and clinical trials. It is also hoped it will help researchers achieve breakthroughs in cancer treatments, diagnostics and prevention.
Since its establishment in 2006, the Victorian Cancer Biobank has become one of the largest biobanks in Australia, with 450,000 biospecimens collected and 300 research projects supported in over 26 hospitals across the state.
Dr Beena Kumar, Program Director of Pathology, represents Monash Health at the Strategic Advisory Group of the Victorian Cancer Biobank consortium.
As a consortium member, a Tissue Bank has been established at Monash Health and is managed by Monash Pathology. The Tissue Bank also receives strong support from clinicians and various teams across the organisation.
The Tissue Bank is also a collaborative program with other consortium members through a hub and spoke model for collection and distribution of biospecimens to enable translational cancer research and clinical trials.
The Tissue Bank at Monash Health plays a critical role in contributing to the creation of the large Victorian Cancer Biobank cohort that is accessible to researchers. This ongoing contribution would not be possible without the selfless and invaluable donations made by our patients.
For more information about the Victorian Cancer Biobank please visit their website.
You can read the full media release here.
Approved by Karen Lowe.