The VCCC Alliance recently hosted an incredible 621 delegates from many corners of the world at the World Indigenous Cancer Conference here in Naarm, Melbourne. This was such a unique and inspirational event, for which I’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback.
An atmosphere of interactivity and collegiality stood out from the opening session. This was a true melting pot of cultures, disciplines and perspectives, with delegates engaging in wide-ranging conversations to share insights and learn from each other’s experiences. It was heartening to see indigenous communities from across the globe come together to celebrate their cultures, shared experience, and resilience to keep working for better health outcomes for their communities.
Over the course of three world indigenous cancer conferences, we have witnessed a tangible improvement in the impact of the scientific discussions, signalling significant strides in addressing the unique challenges faced by First Nations people in combating cancer.
While this progress is encouraging, it’s also important to acknowledge the difficult time faced by First Nations people in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Australia, following the recent political changes and result of the voice referendum. This proves there is still plenty of work to do. However, I believe we are heading in the right direction.
Among the presentations I enjoyed that of Uncle Tom Calma AO, speaking on work being done in tobacco control and the sustained and successful efforts to reduce rates of smoking among First Nations people. His advocacy, including embracing reforms such as vaping, has been instrumental in promoting healthier lifestyles within Indigenous communities.
Thank you to the Victorian Government, represented by The Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP, our patron for the event, for demonstrating their commitment to supporting initiatives aimed at improving Indigenous health outcomes. It was delightful to also be joined by Ms Caroline Kennedy, US Ambassador to Australia, whose interest and passion in advancing Indigenous health globally is evident.
You can read about the World Indigenous Cancer Conference in our wrap article, which includes links to on-the-ground reporting of the event.
Our Teletrials Toolkit is officially launching this month, and includes a valuable set of practical, checklists and other tools on how to run successful teletrials. This is complemented by our teletrials online course which is now available on our Centre for Cancer Education web resource.
This project, a collaboration with Regional Trials Network Vic and Alfred Health Trial Hub, further strengthens the educational resources available for the regional cancer workforce as part of our Regional Partnership Agreements, with eight regional centres delivering cancer care. It’s another step towards making clinical trials more convenient for regional and rural Victorian patients by reducing travel time to metro areas.
For those interested in learning more about running teletrials, I encourage you to sign up to attend our upcoming Teletrials Masterclass.
Several cancer leaders and early career researchers from the Alliance presented this week at the Cancer Research (AACR) General Meeting, held in San Diego, USA.
Stand outs for me included Saskia Freytag from the Brain Cancer Centre at WEHI and Luc Furic from Peter Mac shared valuable insights on brain cancer and prostate cancer. Professor Richardo Dolcetti, deputy head of the Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne, discussed improvements in immunotherapy for microsatellite stable colorectal cancers, and Kristin Needham from the ONJCRI presented on mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapy for colorectal cancer. Prof Sherene Loi from Peter Mac spoke on the CheckMate 7FL trial, which is identifying predictive biomarkers in immunotherapy for breast cancer used in a neoadjuvant setting. It’s always great to see the research strength of our state demonstrated on the world stage.
Speaking of world-class research, new mRNA technology is being used to develop treatments for chronic Hepatitis B and liver cancer at the Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy at the VCCC Alliance. Director Prof Joe Trapani AO and collaborators from the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity and St Vincents Hospital Melbourne are testing an approach that removes the virus’s ability to spread to uninfected liver cells, eradicating the virus early and reducing inflammation and likelihood of further complications.
We’re grateful to the Victorian Government for supporting the VCCC Alliance. Our virus-driven cancer research gives us the opportunity to lead the world in groundbreaking liver cancer treatment and prevention. However, this can only be possible with a marked increase in funding in initiatives such as the Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy.
The upcoming state budget is almost upon us, and this one is anticipated to be challenging for the health and medical research sector. Now more than ever, it’s important to support each other and keep the long-term vision in mind as we look to continue to build a world-leader cancer system here in Victoria, and make a positive impact for people affected by cancer.
Prof Grant McArthur AO
Chief Executive Officer
