"When it comes to accelerating brain cancer research, we need a nationally coordinated approach.”
Professor Lindy Jeffree, Chair, Brain Cancer Australia National Consortium Steering Committee
Biobanks are the backbone of medical research.
Biobanks provide researchers with the tumour tissue and clinical data needed to better understand brain cancer — and to discover new therapies to treat it.
That’s why we’re backing brain cancer biobanks – and cutting-edge organoid projects - across the country with $500,000 in funding made possible through the Australian Brain Cancer Mission Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). This investment will help build the national research infrastructure needed to accelerate brain cancer breakthroughs.
The funding will be used to harmonise biobanking efforts — enabling each participating biobank to collect, store and share tumour tissue and blood samples using best-practice, standardised protocols.
It will also support the coordinated development of organoids — 3D lab-grown models of a patient’s tumour that are transforming the way researchers and clinicians test new drugs and personalise treatments. These models mimic the complex environment of a tumour in the brain, allowing researchers to observe how it responds to therapies in real time.
By embedding national standards and best-practice protocols, this funding ensures that tissue samples and tumour models are of the highest quality, comparable across sites, and accessible for current and future research. This is especially critical in brain cancer, where the rarity of the disease and location of the tumour means access to human tissue is already limited.
“When it comes to accelerating brain cancer research, we need a nationally coordinated approach to biobanking and organoid development. Harmonising Australia’s efforts means researchers can work together more effectively, share insights faster, and bring new treatments to patients sooner,” said Professor Lindy Jeffree, Chair, Brain Cancer Australia National Consortium Steering Committee
Brain Cancer Australia’s Biobanking and Organoid Platform connects brain cancer biobanks nationwide, making more than 11,000 specimens available to researchers globally via an online portal.
For more information on the platform and participating biobanks, go to: https://www.braincanceraustralia.org.au/our-work#bop
