The brain cancer signalling group is led by Dr Rod Luwor. The team aims to better understand how key signalling molecules within brain tumour cells enhance tumour cell growth and invasion. Our team also studies how brain tumour cells can secrete factors into their micro-environment to inhibit the function of local immune cells. […]
Research ArticleResearch
Immunology
Our research is focused on the role of the immune system and how it relates and can be used to treat cancer. In the future, cancer will predominately be treated with the activation of the immune system, without chemotherapy and radiation. We are undertaking studies on the immunology of cancer and the role of T […]
Ovarian Cancer
Every 11 hours one woman dies of ovarian cancer in Australia. Approximately 1400 Australia women are diagnosed with the cancer each year, and nearly 800 die annually, making ovarian cancer the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death in women in Australia. The high mortality rate in ovarian cancer patients results from the diagnosis of […]
Langerhans Cell Histocytosis
LCH is a rare cancer-like disease that mostly affects infants and children but can also occur in adults. Lesions can infiltrate any organ of the body, which can result in bone lesions and scarring of vital organs. Our research has the potential to unlock broad new findings to better understand LCH and other diseases involving […]
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
CLL is the most common type of leukemia in adults in the Western world. There is evidence that genetic components contribute to the aetiology of CLL, but no definitive susceptibility genes have been identified. This project is studying the role of immune cells in the regulation of disease progression. The Institute is in a unique […]
Breast cancer
Our research investigates the immunology of breast cancer with special reference to high risk triple negative breast cancer. Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute has appointed Dr Aparna Jayachandran as Senior Research Fellow to lead a new Breast cancer program at the Ballarat Institute. This an encouraging extension of the world class research currently undertaken at […]
Bowel cancer
Bowel cancer research conducted at the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute in Ballarat, has discovered that a subset of immune cells in the bowel can misbehave and release chemical messengers that promote bowel cancer and inhibit other immune cells. Australia has one of the highest rates of Bowel cancer in the world. It is the […]
Renal cancer
The role of immune cells in renal cancer and genito-urinary cancer is led by Dr Prashanth Prithviraj and Professor Nuzhat Ahmed. The group are studying the role of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transformation (EMT) in these cancers with the view of using this information to enhance treatments in these cancers. Renal cancer is cancer of the […]
