Cancer Council WA has awarded a Post-Doctoral Fellowship to The Kids Research Institute Australia researcher, Dr Ben Wylie, for his project to help kids with sarcoma.
The three-year fellowship will work towards advancing development of a biodegradable gel to deliver immunotherapy into the wound area after surgery to remove the cancer. Dr Wylie said perfecting the immunotherapy gel would reduce the need for toxic treatments.
“The main treatment for kids with sarcoma is surgery to remove their cancer, but sometimes the surgeon cannot remove all of the cancer and it can grow back,” he said.
To prevent this, kids must undergo chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, which is not always effective and can result in severe and long-term side effects. My research will seek to pioneer a new way to deliver therapy locally during surgery, to prevent the cancer coming back.
Cancer Council WA’s CEO, Ashley Reid, said he was thrilled Dr Wylie had been awarded a 2022-2024 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.
“Cancer Council WA Postdoctoral Research Fellowships give support for cancer researchers in the early stages of their career, providing improved career stability and encouraging the best and brightest young researchers to continue in the discipline of cancer research,” Mr Reid said.
Cancer Council WA is committed to achieving the best outcomes for cancer patients and their families and creating a cancer-free future, so it’s important for us to support exciting research such as Dr Ben Wylie’s that has the potential to save lives and benefit a broad range of cancer patients who experience solid tumours.”
Sarcoma is one of the most common cancers affecting children and young people, and many patients suffer long-term side effects from toxic treatments.
Dr Wylie said immunotherapy – which activates the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells – is one of the most exciting advancements in cancer treatment in decades.
Through this fellowship, I hope to develop a safer and more effective way to deliver cancer therapy for kids with sarcoma, that is less invasive, requires fewer follow-ups and has less side-effects than current treatment like chemotherapy and radiotherapy.