Cabrini Health, in partnership with Monash University, is set to transform cancer care for Victorians, thanks to a game-changing $10 million donation. This landmark funding will establish a cutting-edge genomic testing program at Cabrini providing personalised, precision treatment for up to 2,000 additional patients annually.
The generous $10 million donation from the PMF Foundation was inspired by the personal experience of a patient under the care of Professor Gary Richardson OAM, Group Director of Cabrini Research and medical oncologist at Cabrini Hospital, who also holds a professorial appointment at Monash University.
PMF Foundation Managing Director, Nicola Clyne, said: “The patient personally credited Professor Richardson and the Cabrini team with significantly prolonging their life using genomic profiling throughout their treatment. Their vision was to make a pledge that enables more people with cancer to extend their lives in the same way.”
Professor Richardson, leveraging his oncology and genomic research expertise, will lead this transformative initiative at Cabrini. He said: “Through broader, more comprehensive genomic testing panels, our clinicians will be able to precisely identify and target the unique genetic drivers of each patient’s cancer – a crucial step in delivering the most effective, tailored care.”
“Currently, whole genomic testing requests can take up to six months with patient costs up to $4000. Thanks to this generous donation, we aim to reduce this to just weeks by creating the capacity to serve more Victorians in Melbourne’s south-east corridor and beyond,” adds Professor Richardson.
The $10m in funding will be allocated to Cabrini in partnership with Monash over the next five years, establishing the infrastructure to screen over 2,000 additional Victorians genomically per year (1,000 during the first year of operation). The program is expected to begin treating patients in 2025, including public patients who may have previously been unable to afford such specialised testing.
The donation will support Cabrini’s appointment of a Monash University affiliated Chair of Genomics and the creation of a dedicated genomics laboratory. This will empower Cabrini Research to expand its precision cancer treatment clinical trials.
“If patients enter a system with closer monitoring and access to genomic sequencing, it’s proven they do much better,” Professor Richardson said. “This donation represents a significant step forward in the fight against cancer.”
Professor Richardson is a leading expert in rare cancers which disproportionately contribute to cancer-related deaths. He emphasises that the data generated through this genomic profiling initiative will improve treatments for future generations.
For example, the insights gained could unlock a deeper understanding of the complex signalling pathways responsible for triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that lacks targeted therapies. Similarly, the program will generate data that could lead to targeted therapies for High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma – a prominent type of ovarian cancer with a low survival rate.
