Diseases studied - Cancer
Cancer
One in three Australian men and one in four women are directly affected by cancer before the age of 75 and over 100,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. While survival rates have increased significantly over the past 20 years, cancer remains a leading cause of death: while more than half of the diagnosed cases are successfully treated, every year over 36,000 Australians die of the disease.
Cancer costs the health system over $2.7 billion per year, and its cost in terms of pain and suffering is inestimable. The only way to change these statistics is with high-quality prevention, early detection and new treatments: our best chance of achieving these goals is with basic medical research.
Cancer is a complex and varied disease, which is why, at SVI, we approach it from different angles. The Stem Cell Regulation Unit investigates stem cells and their role in cancers of the blood, and our Haematology and Leukaemia Unit examines how blood cancers develop. In the Molecular Genetics Unit, Jörg Heierhorst’s group is working on understanding how the DNA damage that underlies most cancers develops. Other groups focus on how apparently healthy cells become cancerous (Cell Cycle and Cancer Unit) and on identifying the genes involved and developing new treatments to affect them (Pharmacogenomics Unit). A major focus of cancer research at the Institute is cancer metastasis: the Cytoskeleton and Cancer Unit and the Invasion and Metastasis Unit both aim to find ways of halting the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
Learn more about our cancer research:
Invasion and Metastasis - Why does breast cancer recur?
Pharmacogenomics - Manipulating the genes that cause cancer
Cytoskeleton and Cancer - Stopping cancerous cells from spreading
Cell Cycle and Cancer - Why do cells become cancerous?
Stem Cell Regulation - Understanding diseases of the blood and bone
Haematology and Leukaemia - Identifying the genes that cause leukaemia
Structural Biology - How protein structure affects disease
Molecular Genetics - Repairing the damage
Bone Cell Biology and Disease - Treating arthritis and osteoporosis