$2million to CICR

The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) today announced a $1 million grant to the University's Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research (CICR), which is pioneering the development of a vaccine for cervical cancer.

The ACRF grant will be followed by two more - the State Government and the University are each giving the CICR an additional $500,000.

The total of $2 million will go towards a state-of-the-art cancer research laboratory at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Construction is already under way and the laboratory will be finished next year.

The new facilities will boost the CICR's work on skin and breast cancer as well as the development of a cervical cancer vaccine. The CICR has patented a method of developing non-infectious papillomavirus virus-like particles - a significant step towards a safe and effective vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.

Centre Director Professor Ian Frazer said the importance of the ACRF grant could not be overstated.

"Being awarded a grant by the ACRF is some of the highest recognition it's possible to achieve in this field," he said. "The Foundation's Medical Research Committee includes many of Australia's pre-eminent cancer research experts and employs the most rigorous assessment procedures.

"The ACRF grant has opened the door for the other contributions from the University and the State Government - recognition that the ACRF sets the benchmark for cancer research infrastructure projects in this country."

ACRF Chair Tom Dery said the grant recognised the innovative research being carried out at the CICR.

"The Centre's work on developing a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer is particularly exciting," Mr Dery said.

"But this is only one aspect of its research - it's also carrying out important work on skin cancer and breast cancer.

"Bringing all its research projects under one roof will allow much closer co-operation between the specialist teams - and eventually offer better preventive measures and treatment for a variety of cancers."

The ACRF has contributed more than $8 million to pioneering Australian cancer research programs in 12 years.

Previous grants were: $1.02 million for Westmead Hospital's Millennium Institute for Cancer Research; $1 million for the Medical Genome Centre at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra; $1.096 million for the Centre For Molecular and Cellular Biology in Brisbane; $1 million for the Hanson Centre for Cancer Research in Adelaide; $1.08 million for the Austin Research Institute of Heidelberg in Melbourne; $610,000 for the Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne and $1 million for the Centre for Immunology at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.

The Australian Cancer Research Foundation is the leading non-profit organisation in Australia dealing nationally and exclusively with cancer research funding. It was established in 1984 as the Australian Cancer Foundation for Medical Research, taking on its present name in 1996. Its first grant was awarded in 1987.

The Foundation's web address is: www.cancer-research.com.au