The Albanese Government has announced a significant investment of $143.4 million to accelerate the future of precision medicine in Australia and offering a beacon of hope for a new standard in genomic-led care for all cancera disease where abnormal cells split without control and spread to other nearby body tissue and/or organs patients.
“We have long advocated for genomic testing to be made available for all rare, less common, and advancedat a late stage, far along cancers and yesterday’s announcement is a historic step towards this,” said Rare Cancers Australia (RCA) CEO, Christine Cockburn.
“Genomic medicine is revolutionising cancer care. As knowledge about cancer has increased, new possibilities in treatment have emerged that can be far more targeted, reduce unnecessary side effects, open doors to clinical trialsresearch studies performed to test new treatments, tests or procedures and evaluate their effectiveness on various diseases and significantly improve survival outcomes for patients. But there is still work to do in taking the research findings and bringing them into standard care, so everyone benefits,” she stated.
Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care, The Hon. Mark Butler, this morning announced $112.6 million over three years in funding to support the continuity of the Zero Childhood Cancer (ZERO), led by CCI and the Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital, which allows every child enrolled in the program, no matter where they live in Australia, to have samples of their cancer and normal tissues analysed at a molecular genomic level so they can identify, which treatment and drugs are most likely to be effective.
“All childhood cancers are rare, and the continued funding of ZERO will make an enormous difference to the lives of many children and their families going through unimaginable circumstances. I commend the Albanese Government for recognising the importance of this work and for investing in the lives of the most vulnerable in our community, our children, and in our research sector,” Ms Cockburn continued.
Minister Butler also announced $30.8 million to extend the reach of the Precision Oncologythe study, diagnosis and treatment of cancer Screeningtesting for cancer or conditions that can lead to cancer before symptoms appear, also known as cancer screening Platform Enabling Clinical Trials (PrOSPeCT), led by Omico.
“We have long partnered with Omico on PrOSPeCT because we believe every person’s cancer is as unique as their fingerprint, and that this research will unlock a whole new world of possibilities for our patients,” said Ms Cockburn.
PrOSPeCT is the largest cancer genomics initiative in Australia and is already benefiting thousands of people diagnosed with rare and advanced cancers, offering them research-funded genomic testing that can match them with potential treatments and clinical trials. Often, people with rare cancers have limited treatment options, but genomic profiling can uncover a biomarker that opens up new potential treatments and offers real hope.
“On behalf of the rare cancer community, I want to thank Minister Butler and the Albanese Government for their commitment to bringing genomic-led cancer care to more patients and their families. The continued investment in these ground-breaking research initiatives paves the way for a world where every patient has access to the genomic testing and personalised treatment they deserve.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the Government to take genomic-led cancer care out of research and into standard care,” Ms Cockburn concluded.
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Media contact:
Alicia Ballesty | 0499 880 742 | [email protected]