ACRF Tasmanian Inherited Cancer Centre
The purpose of the grant was to establish an internationally competitive cancer genetics centre. The ACRF Tasmanian Inherited Cancer Centre (ATICC) used the Tasmanian population to identify genes that predispose individuals to cancer. It drew on a number of skills and initiatives already underway at the Menzies Research Institute and elsewhere in Tasmania, to build an internationally competitive cancer genetics program.
The ACRF grant has been awarded specifically for the purchase of three major components of the ATICC; fit out of the Cancer Genetic Laboratories; Genealogical Database and a DNA and Virtual tissue bank.
Researchers at the Menzies sought to identify, not only disease genes but to use its significant expertise in epidemiology to discover the environmental triggers to disease, making a significant impact on identifying the genetic predisposing factors to many familial cancers.
Funding for the new centre enabled researchers to have access to state-of-the-art instruments and laboratories that were not previously available in Tasmania. The centre provided infrastructure for the collection and storage of DNA and genealogical information from cancer patients.
Chief Investigators: Prof Simon Foote, A/Prof Alison Venn, Prof Ray Lowenthal, Prof James Vickers, Dr Briony Patterson, A/Prof Greg Woods, Dr Heather McGee, Dr Jo Dickinson, Dr Adele Holloway, Dr Brendan McMorran, Dr Gaetan Burgio, Dr Jim Stankovich, Dr Jac Charlesworth, Dr Russell Thomson