New international partnership to accelerate search for cancer cures

Cancer patients in Australia and the United States will benefit from a new research-focused collaboration between the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the institutions will explore potential areas of collaboration to drive research in the global fight against cancer.

Based in Melbourne and with campuses across Victoria, Peter Mac is Australia’s only public health service dedicated to caring for people affected by cancer and a world-leading cancer research, education and treatment centre.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is a Harvard Medical School-affiliated Comprehensive Cancer Centre, delivering innovative patient therapies and scientific discoveries to the world.

Peter Mac Chief Executive Professor Shelley Dolan said the MOU reflected a shared vision to provide world-class, compassionate and innovative clinical care, research and education.

“We are delighted to be signing this new MOU with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute which ranks among the world’s leading cancer hospitals and research centres,” Dolan said.

“Working together like this provides unique benefits to each of our organisations and, ultimately, brings us closer to better cancer treatments and potential cures.”

The three-year MOU will support initiatives including:

• Reciprocal visits of oncology faculty and staff
• Research collaboration, with a focus on immune-based cancer therapies
• Advancing the clinical application of genomics used to tailor cancer treatments
• Integrating digital health with a focus on using Electronic Medical Records to support research and advancements in patient care.

Kevin Haigis, PhD, chief scientific officer at Dana-Farber, said the key aims were established to foster academic exchange, drive implementation of new technologies and advance novel therapeutics among the two institutions.

“Dana-Farber and Peter Mac have areas of shared expertise and interest and the activities we seek to implement from this MOU will help benefit patients with cancer in Australia and around the world,” Haigis said.

This is the second MOU signed between the two organisations, building on an initial agreement signed in 2016.