Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Melbourne Branch

Medical Oncologist, Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH)

Following medical oncology training in Melbourne Dr Peter Gibbs spent two years in Denver, Colorado working in the area of melanoma research. He returned to Australia in 2000 to joint appointments at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Departments of Medical Oncology at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Western Hospital.

Dr Peter Gibbs dominant clinical and research interest has become colorectal cancer. A major goal has been the routine banking of tissue and blood samples and collection of comprehensive clinical and pathologic data from patients with colorectal cancer. To maximise the use of this resource he has been the lead clinician in the establishment of the Bio21: MMIM, a virtual repository of data that links comprehensive prospective clinical data collection with pathologic, proteomic, genetic and metabolic data.

Initially supported by STI funding from the Victorian Government, the success of this endeavour and the recognition of its importance led to a further $4.5 million of federal funding from the Department of Education, Science and Technology, and most recently a further $11 million from the Victorian Government to establish an Australian Cancer Grid.

This funding will allow comprehensive data on patients with colorectal cancer from a large number of Australian centres to be captured, linked and analysed providing extensive opportunities for retrospective analyses in cohorts involving 1000’s of patients, and in collaboration with the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia multiple prospective protocols are being put in place, including randomised studies. Discussions with multiple potential international collaborators are ongoing but funding to link in with the ACG has already been committed from sites in New Zealand and the US (Vanderbilt University).

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