News briefs

Hoover is a test pup for nanomedicine prostate cancer treatment

A 10-year-old beagle with prostate cancer is helping researchers at the University of Queensland use nanomedicines to accurately diagnose and target the disease. Hoover is the first “patient” in the world to receive the nanomedicine, which the research team hopes will help track and treat his cancer, and lead to better treatment for people with the same disease. Hoover was chosen for the trial because dogs – like humans – naturally develop prostate cancer. “Nanomedicines with the ability to target specific areas can lead us to target chemotherapy drugs to where they’re needed, and kill cancerous cells with minimal impact on healthy cells,” said Associate Professor Kris Thurecht. Pre-clinical studies have been successful in treating prostate cancer in the laboratory, leading to total remission in some cases. “Validation of this science and technology in companion animals like Hoover is an exciting step forward in nanomedicine and towards human treatment,” he said.

https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2018/09/hoover-gives-hope-novel-nanomedicine-cancer-treatment

Australian Cancer Atlas unpacks cancer burden by locality

Australians can now discover the impact of cancer in their suburb or town, with the launch of the new cutting-edge Australian Cancer Atlas. The interactive atlas shows national patterns in cancer incidence and survival rates based on where people live for 20 of the most common cancers in Australia, likely reflecting the characteristics, lifestyles and access to health services in the area. The world-leading project, led by researchers from Cancer Council Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and FrontierSI, will give health agencies and policy makers a better understanding of geographic disparities and health requirements across the country. One of the most revealing patterns shown in the atlas is the severe disparities in liver cancer, with incidence rates significantly higher than the national average in many areas of northern Australia and many metropolitan areas of Sydney and Melbourne, reflecting differences in the distribution of known risk factors such as hepatitis, intravenous drug use and excess alcohol consumption. In addition, other findings confirm that melanoma incidence rates are higher than the Australian average in many areas of Queensland and northern New South Wales. The online atlas is powered by myGlobe, a state-of-the-art digital system that has been developed and enhanced specifically for the atlas by the Visualisation and eResearch team at QUT. The atlas has been endorsed by the Australasian Association of Cancer Registries and Cancer Council Australia, and investigators accessed expertise from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers.

https://atlas.cancer.org.au/