When a group of Daffodil Circle members were invited to tour the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in August, they had the privilege of seeing first-hand the transformational work they’re making possible now and in the future.
Taking an exclusive look behind the curtain of Professor Ian Parish’s lab, members had the opportunity to learn more about his research into making immunotherapy more effective for more cancers.
Funded by generous Cancer Council Victoria supporters, Prof. Parish’s work is exploring ‘CAR T-cell therapy’ where a patient’s T-cells are engineered to attack and eradicate cancer.
“I imagine a future where immunotherapies can benefit all cancer patients to not just provide treatments but ideally to provide cures”
A big problem with this therapy currently is that these cells often become tired or exhausted, so they stop functioning and can’t eradicate the cancer.
In a special presentation, Prof. Parish showed how his team has found a way of engineering these cells by deleting molecular factors called ‘IKZF’ to allow CAR T-cells to better fight cancer.
It’s an important area of research, expanding the revolutionary discoveries of immunotherapy to benefit more people with cancer – especially solid tumours which haven’t had the same success with immunotherapy as blood cancers.
Connecting Daffodil Circle members with the passionate researchers behind such exciting projects is just one way to show the impact you’re having on the future of cancer treatment and care – a future where more people survive and have a good quality of life after cancer.
For Prof. Parish, who is at the forefront of the next generation in cancer research, this future is entirely possible. “I imagine a future where immunotherapies can benefit all cancer patients to not just provide treatments but ideally to provide cures,” Prof. Parish shared.
“Thank you for leaving a gift in your Will to Cancer Council Victoria, because you’re helping us to develop better immunotherapies to benefit more cancer patients.”