UNIVERSITY NEWS
Fighting cancer on the beaches
In 2017, Fight on the Beaches chose Macquarie as one of two research beneficiaries of funding to find a cure for one of the world’s greatest killers.
Macquarie’s Professor Gilles Guillemin from the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the lead researcher benefiting from the extraordinary support of Fight on the Beaches. Professor Guillemin, an acknowledged world leader in the study of causative links of cancer, will use the charity’s support to validate a new therapy treatment to stop the spread of breast cancer.
“Despite vast improvements in primary breast cancer treatment, options for breast cancer patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body, known as metastasis, remain limited and largely ineffective. Hence, metastasis remains the underlying cause of death in the majority of breast cancer patients,” says Professor Guillemin.
Professor Guillemin’s research proposal will explore a different treatment approach for metastatic breast cancer, based on modulating a key biochemical pathway known as the kynurenine pathway (KP). Although this pathway produces essential energy for the body’s daily functions, tumour cells can hijack the KP to escape immune detection and metastasise.
Blocking the activity of the first KP enzyme (IDO1) in animal cancer models has already shown to improve anti-tumour immune detection and reduce tumour growth, but most breast cancer patients do not show enhanced IDO1 activity. Instead, preliminary clinical data showed that it is the second KP enzyme (KMO) that is activated in the majority of tumour samples from breast cancer patients. This data suggests that the KMO may play a more important role than IDO1 in breast cancer.
“Collectively, our research proposal is a unique study with the potential to develop a new therapy that will slow down breast cancer growth and metastasis.”
Guillemin adds, “My research team and I are very grateful to have Fight on the Beaches as a lead supporter of our cancer research here at Macquarie.
“Macquarie is doing some groundbreaking cancer research, and this can be very expensive, but through community support from Fight on the Beaches, we will find the next breakthrough and save lives.”
Christmas in July Charity Ball
Fight on the Beaches will host its annual Christmas in July Charity Ball at Miramare Gardens in Terrey Hills on Friday 27 July 2018.
Join more than 700 guests and 100 volunteers to find a cure for cancer. Honour those who have been lost to cancer, those who are currently fighting, and those who have fought and won.
Tickets are on sale now and include a fabulous three-course meal with refreshments throughout the evening.
Guests will enjoy hearing moving personal cancer stories, live music, prizes, auctions and raffles, and there will be more than 400 gifts under a massive Christmas tree to ensure a great night is had by all.
For more information or to make a donation, visit fightonthebeaches.com