17 November 2008 - Cervical cancer vaccines receive top honour
Cervical cancer vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, have received the International Prix Galien, the pharmaceutical industry’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The vaccines, base on technology co-developed by The University of Queensland’s Professor Ian Frazer, first became available in 2006 and have now reached women in over 90 countries around the world.
The vaccines, which protect against about 70% of cervical cancers, are now widely available and more than 30 million doses of the vaccines have now been administered. Cervical cancer kills 270,000 women worldwide every year.
The Prix Galien was established in France in 1970 to recognize outstanding achievement and innovation in medical research and development. Judges on the committee include clinicians, toxicologists, pharmacologists and pharmacists. Each year, the award has been an opportunity to give credit to the most important drugs introduced into the public market as well as to the achievements of the best research team in the pharmaceutical field.
13 November - Ian Frazer awarded the Ramaciotti Medal
The 2006 Australian of the Year, Professor Ian Frazer, will tonight receive the Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Research in recognition of his work that contributed to the development of the world’s first cervical cancer vaccines.
The Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretser AC will tonight present Professor Frazer with the Medal which carries an award of $50,000 at the annual Ramaciotti Awards ceremony to be held in Melbourne. Professor Frazer is the director of The University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine.
“Professor Ian Frazer has dedicated his life to eradicating the global impact of cervical cancer. On behalf of the Ramaciotti Foundations we are excited to be able to continue to support the ground-breaking work that led to the development of the cervical cancer the vaccines,” said David Knowles, Head of Perpetual’s Philanthropic Services.
The award of $50,000 will assist the next stage of Professor Frazer’s work as he looks to develop better delivery methods for the vaccines, particularly in developing countries.
“I’m honoured to receive this recognition of my work from the Ramaciotti Foundations,” said Professor Ian Frazer. “But what it really means for us is more money to help with the research program, where we are now trying to develop better strategies for delivering the vaccines in order to make a real impact on the global prevalence of this devastating disease.”
Cervical cancer is a global health problem which affects women of all ages. It currently accounts for the death of more than a quarter of a million women each year, the majority of whom are in the developing world.
The Ramaciotti Foundations, a major private contributor to medical research in Australia that has distributed more than $45 million to biomedical research since its establishment in 1970, played a significant role in the development of the Gardasil vaccine.
“The initial funding I received from the Ramaciotti Foundations in the late 1980s and early 1990s came at exactly the right time as we were just getting the vaccine project off the ground - it helped us to buy the equipment necessary to get the work done.
“The Ramaciotti money was special in the sense that it tends to be given for new investigators getting something off the ground when it’s exciting, and that’s exactly how it was for us,” said Professor Frazer.
27 Oct 2008 - Chair of Diamantina’s Scientific Advisory Committee Wins Prestigious Award
Dr Alan Bernstein, Chair of the Diamantina Institute’s Scientific Advisory Committee, has been awarded the 2008 Wightman Award from the Gairdner Foundation. Dr Bernstein received the award for his outstanding contribution to Canadian health research as a scientist, research institute director and as the inaugural President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He is an internationally respected researcher, mentor and scientific leader in the fields of cancer, hematopoiesis and genomics.
The Wightman Award is an annual award of C$100,000 that is awarded by the Gairdner Foundation to a Canadian who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in medicine and medical science. The Foundation recognises the world’s leading medical research scientists through the Gairdner International Awards which are recognised as among the most prestigious awards in biomedical science.
17 Oct 2008 - PM's Science Prize for Frazer
The University of Queensland's cervical cancer vaccine co-creator Professor Ian Frazer has won the 2008 Prime Minister's Prize for Science. Professor Frazer, Director of UQ's Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine, was presented with his prize by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at a special ceremony in the Great Hall, Parliament House Canberra last night.
The Prime Minister's Prize for Science is the nation's pre-eminent award for excellence in science and acknowledges the contributions of Australian scientists to economic and social wellbeing in Australia and the world.
Awarded for an outstanding specific achievement in any area of science advancing human welfare or benefiting society, it can encompass the physical, chemical, biological and technological sciences, mathematics and/or engineering. The Prime Minister¹s Prize for Science comprises a grant of $300,000. The winner also serves on the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council for a year.
Professor Frazer said he would donate his prize money to the University for a research program to develop further vaccines.
Last month, Professor Frazer, 2006 Australian of the Year and inaugural winner of the Queensland Smart State Premier¹s Fellowship in 2006, was announced as the winner of the prestigious Balzan Prize for International Medicine. Together with his late research partner Dr Jian Zhou, Professor Frazer contributed to the development of a vaccine for cervical cancer. Since the vaccine's global application in 2006, more than 40 million doses have been administered to women and girls in more than 90 countries. The vaccine protects against about 70 percent of human papillomavirus-related cervical cancers, with more than 270,000 women previously dying each year from the disease.
"I'm honoured to be chosen as the 2008 recipient of the Prime Minister¹s Prize for Science, and delighted at the recognition of the contribution of science to the community that this prize makes," Professor Frazer said. "I will use the opportunity granted by my selection to further the promotion of science as the best approach to solving the many challenges we face in society, in areas as diverse as health and the environment."
Acting UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Keniger congratulated Professor Frazer and said the Prime Minister had made an excellent choice. "As well as being a brilliant scientist whose work has a global impact, Professor Frazer has an infectious enthusiasm for the benefits of research and never tires in spreading the word to Australians and people all over the world," Professor Keniger said.
UQ now has two Prime Minister's Prize for Science recipients, the other being Professor Mandyam Srinivasan, who won the award in 2006, just prior to his appointment to UQ as Head of Visual Neuroscience within the Queensland Brain Institute. The Prime Minister's prizes for science scheme was introduced in 2000, replacing the Australia Prize, awarded from 1990.
Media: Shirley Glaister at UQ Communications (07 3365 1931), Anton Sanker at UQ Diamantina (07 3240 5938 or 0412 057 512) or Niall Byrne from Science in Public (03 9398 1416 or 0417 131 977).
8 September 2008 - Major international prize for Professor Ian Frazer
The University of Queensland's cervical cancer vaccine co-creator Professor Ian Frazer has won a major international prize worth more than $1.08 million. Professor Frazer, the Director of UQ's Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine and 2006 Australian of the Year, has won the Balzan Prize for Preventive Medicine, announced in Milan on September 8.
It is one of up to four Balzan awards presented each year to people or organisations making outstanding contributions in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, and peace efforts. Previous winners include Mother Teresa and Pope John XXIII. Professor Frazer will receive his prize at a special ceremony in Rome in November this year. The prize stipulates that each winner dedicate half of his or her prize money to projects conducted by young researchers.
Professor Frazer and his late research partner Dr Jian Zhou contributed to the development of a vaccine for cervical cancer. “It's great to see Australian science acknowledged in the international arena through this prestigious award,” Professor Frazer said.
“I'm delighted that award funds will be used to further the career of a young scientist in the area of cancer immunology. I'm honoured to be selected for recognition on behalf of those who worked on the papillomavirus vaccine technology, particularly my late colleague Dr Jian Zhou.” Since the vaccine's global application in 2006, more than 29 million doses have been administered to women and girls in more than 90 countries. The vaccine protects against about 70 percent of human papillomavirus-related cervical cancers, with more than 270,000 women previously dying each year from the disease.
Acting UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor David Siddle congratulated Professor Frazer on his award. "Ian is a most worthy winner – his pioneering work over two decades is an inspiration to others and has potentially saved many lives as well as raised awareness of a devastating disease," he said.
The assets behind the International Balzan Prize Foundation were established by Eugenio Balzan (1874–1953), a part-owner of Italian evening newspaper, the Corriere della Sera, who left Italy in 1933 in protest against fascism. He left a substantial inheritance to his daughter Angela Lina Balzan (1892–1956), who at the time was suffering an incurable disease. Before her death, she left instructions for the foundation.
Media inquiries: Shirley Glaister at UQ Communications (07 3365 1931) or Anton Sanker at UQ Diamantina (07 3240 5938 or 0412 057 512).
Gene silencing drug breakthrough at PA Hospital
Brisbane researchers are one step closer to a new treatment for cervical cancer. Gene silencing drugs have already proven to be a promising technology because they target and turn off single cancer-causing genes. But until now, their use in humans has been in doubt because the drugs are broken down by the body’s immune system as they travel through the bloodstream.
University of Queensland PhD student Sherry Wu, from the Diamantina Institute, has developed a stealth ‘bubble’ (or liposome) which envelops the drug. This cloaks it from the body’s immune radar allowing it to reach its target tumour. This research project at the Princess Alexandra Hospital could be available for human trial in less than five years.
“We know gene silencing works well in a test tube, but we’re working on how to deliver it inside the body without it breaking down in the blood first,” Ms Wu said. She said the preliminary results were positive, with the drug able to shrink tumours more effectively when able to travel through the body uninterrupted.
“We injected mice with the drug and found that with the liposome bubble protecting it, the tumours were substantially reduced.” Ms Wu said that although there is now a vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer, women who have already contracted the virus are at risk of developing the disease.
“The fantastic thing about gene silencing in cervical cancer treatment is that we can kill off the viral genes before the onset of cancer,” she said. “For example, a woman who has an abnormal pap smear test showing a pre-cancerous lesion could potentially be treated with the therapy before the cancer shows up.”
Lead researcher Dr Nigel McMillan said this latest development had helped overcome a major problem with the technology, meaning it could progress to clinical trials sooner. “We’re also looking at its potential use in other cancers,” he said.
Brisbane research team's discovery providing hope for Leukaemia sufferers
A Brisbane research team has made groundbreaking discoveries which could ultimately lead to a cure of the world’s most common form of Leukaemia – Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL).
More than 10 years in the making, under the leadership of Associate Professor Devinder Gill and Dr Nigel McMillan, the Princess Alexander (PA) hospital and UQ Diamantina Institute research team has made two significant breakthroughs which should see a new therapeutic agent trialed in patients in about five years.
The breakthroughs include being able to keep CLL cells alive for up to three months in culture flasks and the discovery of two new growth factors which keep leukemic cells alive. PA Clinical Haematology Director Associate Professor Devinder Gill said despite being the most common Leukaemia in the western world, CLL was a stream that had been largely ignored by the research community until recently. The research on CCL had been hindered because the cells were difficult to keep alive once removed from the body.
“This obviously made it extremely difficult to conduct research but after years of testing we can now keep the cells alive for three months,” Associate Professor Gill said.
During this process, Associate Professor Gill said a second breakthrough was made when they identified two new growth factors which were responsible for enhancing the survival of the cells. “By knowing what makes the cells grow we can now attempt to block these growth factors and therefore the cells will die. This will ultimately lead to more targeted therapies being created which will have the ability to cure the cancer,” Associate Professor Gill said.
Each year more than 700 Australians are diagnosed with CLL, making it the most common Leukaemia. CLL is rare in people under 40 and occurs more frequently in men than in women
Also known as chronic lymphoid leukaemia, CLL is a blood cancer and affects the body’s blood and bone marrow causing premature blood cells to circulate around the body. As the cells are not fully developed they are unable to fight infections. Over time, a shortage of red cells and platelets can also occur, causing anaemia, bleeding and/or bruising.
Associate Professor Gill’s research has been funded in part by the PA Foundation.
3 June 2008 - Needle-Free Vaccine Delivery Research Recognised
UQ researcher, Professor Mark Kendall has been awarded the 2008 Amgen Medical Research Award for his excellence in translational medical research studies. For the full story, click here.
29 May 2008 - Researchers Search for Multiple Sclerosis Genes
Researchers at The University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine are taking a lead role in the largest, concerted effort in multiple sclerosis (MS) genetics research in Australia’s history. They are currently analysing DNA samples, with the aim of identifying the genetic makeup of people with MS.
This research is part of the ANZgene project – so named because The University of Queensland and Griffith University are part of an Australia-New Zealand consortium of 10 medical research institutes working on the project. The overall aim of ANZgene is to identify the genes which predispose individuals to develop MS, and influence its progression. These genes tag the biological processes involved in MS that, in turn, may be targeted by treatments with the potential to stop progress of the disease.
“The Diamantina Institute has the best facilities in Australia to carry out this genetic mapping” said Professor Matthew Brown, principal investigator from the Diamantina Institute. “We are delighted to be involved in this very advanced MS research project.”
The MS Clinics in Brisbane and the Gold Coast have played a significant role in collecting some 2,800 DNA samples of Australian’s with MS. A further 1,500 people with MS from New Zealand are also expected to donate samples for the project. This MS ‘gene bank’ represents one of the largest collections of its kind and is the basis of the biggest genetics projects ever conducted on MS.
Researchers at the Diamantina Institute are conducting the gene mapping experiments on 2,000 of these samples, searching 370,000 genetic markers for each sample. To date they have analysed the markers on 800 of the samples, with the remaining to be finished by July this year. The most prominent genetic markers will then be tested against non-MS ‘control’ samples to verify the results. This step will be followed by experiments that explore how the genes actually influence the disease - a vital step towards developing new treatments.
22 March 2008 - Official Launch of the Diamantina Institute
The University of Queensland's Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine has been officially launched today. The Institute, one of UQ's six world-renowned research institutes, was opened by the Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry Desley Boyle.
For the full story, please click here.
19 March 2008 - $3.2M ACRF Grant Boosts Cancer Biology Research
The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) today awarded a grant of $3.2M for research into genes linked to cancer. The research is being undertaken by scientists from Professor Thomas Gonda's team at the Diamantina Institute in conjunction with their partners at the Queensland University of Technology.
For the full story, please click here.
7 March 2008 - Diamantina Researchers Develop Test for Predicting Type 1 Diabetes
Ranjeny Thomas and her team are developing a simple test which should allow for the early prediction of the onset of type 1 diabetes in children.
For the full story please click here.
29 January 2008 - Diamantina Research Included as "Editor's Favourite" for Nature Journal
Professor Matthew Brown, from UQ's Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine is part of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium which recently received awards including selection as “Editor’s favourites” for a Nature paper entitled "Genome-wide association study of 14,000 cases of seven common diseases and 3000 shared controls". The consortium was also named Research Leader of the Year by Scientific American and their Nature paper was listed as one of the Top 10 major advances in heart disease and stroke by the American Heart Association. All these papers have a Diamantina Institute component.
22 October 2007 - New Arthritis Genes Identified
Professor Matthew Brown and his team have discovered two new genes responsible for one-third of the risk of developing a hereditary and debilitating form of arthritis known as ankylosing spondylitis. For the full story, click here.
7 June 2007 - Disease Genes Isolated in Worldwide Study
Professor Matthew Brown and his team have been involved in the world's largest genetic study that has just isolated at least 25 genes that cause seven of the most common hereditary diseases including diabetes and arthritis. For the full story, click here.
9 May 2007 - Feds Back Queensland Medical Research Powerhouse
A major medical research base to test and produce new drugs and vaccines in Brisbane has received Federal Government backing. The $100 million commitment in last night's federal budget, means the proposed Translational Research Institute (TRI) at the Princess Alexandra Hospital at Woolloongabba will go ahead. The TRI, brainchild of 2006 Australian of the Year UQ Professor Ian Frazer, will combine some of Queensland's leading research groups, including the Diamantina Institute, into a flagship medical research facility. For the full story, click here.
28 August 2006 - Cervical Cancer Vaccine Officially Launched
Professor Ian Frazer administered the first shots of the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil in Queensland this afternoon at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Professor Ian Frazer and his late colleague Dr Jian Zhou contributed to the development of the vaccine which protects agains four strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). For the full story, click here.