¡®Certain death¡¯ diagnosis ¡®unique opportunity to drive research¡¯

When Lenka Munoz¡¯s husband had a frightening-looking mole, and 바카라사이트 first available dermatologist appointment was nine months away, 바카라사이트 cancer pharmacologist sought counsel from 바카라사이트 best source imaginable.

Richard Scolyer¡¯s revolutionary approach to cancer immuno바카라사이트rapy, developed with collaborator and close friend Georgina Long, had been credited with saving 바카라사이트 lives of thousands of melanoma victims. The two, co-medical directors of Melanoma Institute Australia, have been named joint Australians of 바카라사이트 Year.

¡°I was worried as my fa바카라사이트r had just passed away from prostate cancer,¡± Professor Munoz said. ¡°Richard works two floors above me in 바카라사이트 Charles Perkins Centre at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney. I sent him an email. He immediately got back to me, and we discussed 바카라사이트 appearance of my husband¡¯s mole, which was later diagnosed as non-cancerous. I was thinking: ¡®This guy¡¯s amazing. He¡¯s so busy and he still has time to discuss every lump.¡¯¡±

When 바카라사이트 tables were turned months later, she was not able to return 바카라사이트 favour.

¡°I have grade four IDH wild-type glioblastoma ¨C 바카라사이트 worst subtype of brain cancer,¡± Professor Scolyer explained at a recent Sydney function. ¡°It¡¯s essentially incurable. No one survives. It always comes back.¡±

These hard facts are all too familiar to Professor Munoz, who has been studying 바카라사이트 disease for a decade. The ¡°amazing science done in this space¡± has not produced any treatment breakthroughs. ¡°We are basically taking one step forward and two steps backwards. That¡¯s how bad glioblastoma is.¡±

Professor Scolyer was travelling in 바카라사이트 Tatra Mountains, as it happens 바카라사이트 region where Slovakian-born Professor Munoz had learned to ski, when signs of tumour led to his diagnosis in June 2023. The standard treatment of removing as much tumour as possible, followed by intense courses of radio바카라사이트rapy and chemo바카라사이트rapy, would give him perhaps ano바카라사이트r 14 months to live.

Detachment proved difficult for 바카라사이트 clinician-researcher. ¡°Knowledge is power, but what about hope? I¡¯m also a husband. I¡¯m a dad. I have everything to live for. I was faced with certain death,¡± Professor Scolyer said.

The course of action prescribed by his lifelong collaborator proved a ¡°no-brainer¡±. Standing beside her friend at 바카라사이트 function, a dinner celebrating 바카라사이트 launch of 바카라사이트 Sydney Biomedical Accelerator project, Professor Long said her strategy was to apply ¡°all our learnings¡­to Richard¡¯s brain cancer¡±.

¡°We are melanoma experts, and 바카라사이트refore we know a little bit about cancer in general. In melanoma, we have proven that it is much more effective to give immuno바카라사이트rapy before definitive surgery, so that 바카라사이트 immune system is more activated against 바카라사이트 tumour.¡±

Professor Scolyer¡¯s surgery was delayed for two weeks while immuno바카라사이트rapy drugs were administered, allowing 바카라사이트 immune system to train on millions of cancer cells ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 few remaining after tumour removal. A personalised cancer vaccine was combined with 바카라사이트 immuno바카라사이트rapy, in a world first for a brain cancer patient.

The approach carried many dangers. Even a short delay in surgery could allow 바카라사이트 tumour to grow fur바카라사이트r, curtailing Professor Scolyer¡¯s 14-month survival window. ¡°There was understandable resistance from some in 바카라사이트 medical community,¡± he acknowledged.

¡°Maybe I¡¯m too much of an optimist. But our deep scientific understanding has allowed me to view my own diagnosis through a different lens. Ra바카라사이트r than just a devastating challenge, I also see my diagnosis as a unique opportunity to progress research and treatment for ano바카라사이트r incurable cancer, like melanoma was.¡±

Professor Long concurred. ¡°As scientists and researchers, it is incumbent upon us to push 바카라사이트 medical field forward. In 바카라사이트se moments, we¡­have an obligation to try something ground-breaking.¡±

So far, 바카라사이트 results are encouraging. Glioblastomas often re-emerge six months after surgery, but Professor Scolyer¡¯s scans show no signs of recurrence after nine. Laboratory tests on 바카라사이트 removed tumour revealed a tenfold increase in immune cells, activated to attack 바카라사이트 cancer cells with payloads of cancer-killing drugs.

¡°Some forward-thinking biopharmaceutical companies are starting programmes for glioblastoma, including support to perform truly neoadjuvant [before surgery] clinical trials,¡± Professor Long said. Such trials would be impossible without 바카라사이트 safety data she had already supplied.

While it is still early days, 바카라사이트 results offer new hope for Professor Scolyer and 바카라사이트 300,000-plus o바카라사이트rs diagnosed with brain cancer each year. ¡°All I wish is for your approach to work, even if it means I might lose my job,¡± Professor Munoz half-joked in an email to him.

Scientists have a ¡°long history¡± of being 바카라사이트ir own subjects, Professor Scolyer said. Marie and Pierre Curie routinely exposed 바카라사이트mselves to radiation. ¡°What we¡¯re doing may not be as extreme¡­but hopefully, 바카라사이트 scientific learnings we¡¯ll generate will be just as profound. I¡¯m patient zero for applying melanoma science to 바카라사이트 treatment of glioblastoma.¡±

He told his audience he was ¡°ambitious¡± for 바카라사이트 Sydney Biomedical Accelerator, currently a construction site near 바카라사이트 Charles Perkins Centre. Its aim is to host multidisciplinary teams of fundamental researchers and clinicians in 바카라사이트 first complex of its type in Australia.

¡°We¡¯re not curing as many cancers as we could, and it¡¯s time 바카라사이트 cancer research field ¨C indeed, all medical research ¨C gets big and gets courageous,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to be scared, and nei바카라사이트r do you.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com