The new program, funded through a generous donation of $1,323,000 from the Children’s Cancer Foundation, aims to significantly improve treatment for childhood cancer patients diagnosed with brain cancer and solid tumours.

The program, a collaboration between Hudson Institute, Monash Health and Monash University, will focus on brain cancer and solid tumours such as Wilms tumours, with specific emphasis on Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) during the first two years.

DIPG is a devastating childhood brain cancer, with a median survival of only nine months.

This exciting initiative marks a significant investment in future clinical management and novel research discovery in childhood cancer. It will enable scientists at Hudson Institute to establish a living biobank of paediatric brain tumours and solid cancers, including living organoids or lab-grown ‘mini-tumours’ to trial and develop targeted treatments and improve clinical outcomes, survival rates and quality of life for childhood cancer patients.

It will also establish a functional genomics pipeline; from translation of genomic data into targeted therapies, and facilitate important sharing of information nationally and globally thereby building the expertise, informatic resources and data required to advance precision medicine for paediatric cancer patients.

The Hudson Institute thanks the Children’s Cancer Foundation for its generosity, foresight and support.