QUT’s Australian Translational Genomics Centre (ATGC) will help link Queensland patients with clinical trials to evaluate treatments to improve outcomes for people with cancer, thanks to a new collaboration with non-profit research organisation Omico and the PrOSPeCT program.
The initiative will provide free access to personalised tumour analyses for 1600 Queensland cancer patients over the next 18 months and identify potential matches to new treatment trials.
The PrOSPeCT program (short for Precision Oncology Screening Platform enabling Clinical Trials Australia) is run by Omico and has a $185 million public-private funding commitment, with contributions from the Australian Government, NSW Government and industry partners.
PrOSPeCT’s mission is to transform cancer care in Australia by establishing a sustainable network for precision genomic testing and clinical trials. This network will enable cancer patients to access the latest therapies with the potential to reduce treatment and testing costs.
The ATGC, which is part of QUT’s Centre for Genomic and Personalised Health, has been chosen as an Australian testing site for genomic sequencing coordinated by PrOSPeCT. The ATGC is a major contributor of genomic reports to the program.
Cancer patients and their oncologists can learn more about PrOSPeCT and the associated Cancer Screening Program (CaSP) through the Omico online portal.
Associate Professor Paul Leo, who is Deputy Director of Genomics at ATGC, said precision medicine allowed individual patients to be connected to treatments tailored to their specific cancer based on genomic testing.
“This strategic collaboration with Omico has the potential to transform the landscape of cancer care in Queensland, bringing us closer to our objective of providing precision medicine to every cancer patient in Queensland,” he said.
“The project provides advanced genomic profiling of cancers to inform tailored treatment strategies and, whenever possible, grants patients access to cutting-edge clinical trials featuring drug combinations optimised for their specific cancer type.”
QUT Professor Ken O’Byrne, Director of ATGC, said the initiative hoped to benefit patients across Queensland, not just in Brisbane.
“The program will offer testing services to patients in regional and remote centres, helping to improve access to state-of-the-art molecular diagnostics and clinical trials across diverse geographical regions,” Professor O’Byrne said.
“The ultimate goal is to establish a sustainable model for precision oncology, thus alleviating some of the financial burdens associated with oncology care while, most importantly, improving outcomes for patients.”
The ATGC is located at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane and is part of QUT’s Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health.
