A The Kids Research Institute Australia researcher will investigate new ways to harness the body’s own immune system to fight melanoma, thanks to funding from Cancer Council WA.
Dr Jason Waithman is the inaugural recipient of the Cancer Council WA’s Rosemary Grant Zaks Melanoma
Research Fellowship, which will see him receive $480,000 in research funding over four years.
Dr Waithman will use funds from the prestigious award to investigate new immunotherapies for patients with advanced melanoma who have not responded well to existing treatments.
“Australia has one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, with an average of 35 Australians diagnosed every day and more than 1600 people dying from the disease each year,” Dr Waithman said.
“Over the past five years, we have seen huge scientific breakthroughs in immunotherapy treatments for people with advanced melanoma and many people have been cured.
“However, more than half of melanoma patients unfortunately do not respond to these treatments. There is urgent need to help these patients and that is what my research will focus on.
“Thanks to this Fellowship, I plan to develop new immune-based therapies which can be used in conjunction with already existing immunotherapy treatments, to make them more effective and improve the outcomes for patients with advanced melanoma.”
Over the next four years, Dr Waithman’s research program will focus on the following research aims:
- Examining the alarm signals produced during infections (interferons) and identifying the subtypes that improve the body’s immune system to fight cancer
- Develop a vaccine that forces the body to generate tumour-attacking T cells
- Understand how the immune system can be improved to stop the spread of melanoma cancer in the brain
- Understand how specific immune cells might offer protection from skin cancer and keep tumours dormant
While Dr Waithman’s primary focus is on the eradication and control of metastatic melanoma, his work will also help improve treatments options for people with mesothelioma, leukaemia and lymphoma.
Cancer Council WA CEO Ashley Reid said Dr Waithman’s research is an example of the kind of research that Cancer Council Western Australia is proud to fund.
“Cancer Council WA is a leading independent funder of cancer research in the state,” Mr Reid said.
“We have a passionate commitment to funding high-quality cancer research in WA, and we want to support researchers so they are encouraged to stay here and contribute to the world-class cancer research effort.”