ECU's Cancer Blood Biomarkers Study is led by Professor Elin Gray.
Edith Cowan University (ECU)'s Cancer Blood Biomarkers Study has been awarded $205,000 from the WA Government's Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund.
Led by Professor of Cancer Biology and Deputy Director of ECU's Centre for Precision Health, Professor Elin Gray, the Cancer Blood Biomarkers Study enables the discovery and validation of cancer biomarkers in the blood, and other bodily fluids.
These biomarkers are critical for enabling accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of cancer, as well as predicting response to treatment. The biobank has supported large research studies and multinational collaboration funded by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), Cancer Council WA and the Cancer Research Trust.
Professor Gray and her team are working in collaboration with oncology services at Sir Charles Gairdner, Fiona Stanley, Royal Perth, and St John of God hospitals, where they have enrolled and collected samples from patients with skin and eye melanoma, lung cancer (non-small cell and small cell), and ovarian cancer.
Professor Gray said that this grant constitutes a great boost towards the continuity of the biobank which is critical to support translational research towards better markers to detect and treat cancer.
"The biobank has been a great resource to enable discovery projects and training of the next generation of laboratory researchers and clinician-scientist," said Professor Gray.
"It is also a great recognition to all the clinicians, study coordinators and laboratory staff that have over the years works tirelessly to grow and maintain this resource."
The results of the studies have led to significant contributions to the current understanding of the role of blood-based biomarkers in informing treatment decisions for cancer patients, the procedure is also referred to as a liquid biopsy.
The FHRI Operational Support Program Fund supports the operational costs of the most impactful cohort studies in WA, based on demonstrable competitive excellence. With this additional support, ECU's Cancer Blood Biomarkers Study continues to deliver significant contributions to progressive clinical outcomes.
Professor Elin Gray leads the Melanoma Research Group and conducts research on the development of liquid biopsies.
Find out more about Professor Gray's research into melanoma and blood-based biomarkers at ECU.
