Children’s Cancer Centre Tissue Bank

Thanks to the incredible support of the Good Friday Appeal community and Cancer in Kids Auxiliary (CIKA), The Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute are assisting ground-breaking cancer research across the globe.

The Children’s Cancer Centre (CCC) Tissue Bank collects solid tumour, blood and bone marrow samples from oncology patients to learn more about cancer in children.

The tissue bank staff work in collaboration with hospitals, laboratories and researchers both locally and internationally to translate those findings into potentially life-saving treatments.

“Samples are preserved with the utmost care and dignity for future clinical and research purposes. Over 50 staff including consultants, surgeons, haematologists, oncologists, specialist pathologists, researchers and research enablers work together as part of the team,” said Louise Ludlow, CCC Tissue Bank Coordinator.

“Together we are committed to improving the survival rate and long term health outcomes for children diagnosed with cancer.”

In addition to the processing of samples for clinical trials, the CCC Tissue Bank also prepares clinical samples for further molecular testing (testing for certain genes, proteins, or other molecules in a tissue sample) as standard of care.

Thanks to donor support, the CCC Tissue Bank has also participated in important research projects outside of the Melbourne Children’s campus, including research conducted by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the Memphis USA, The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, and the Kid’s Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital.

“The Tissue Bank is an invaluable resource which allows us to collaborate in adequately powered international studies through sample and knowledge sharing, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of cutting edge paediatric cancer research,” Louise said.

Posted June 2020

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