January 7, 2025

Researchers awarded more than $2 million to improve cancer treatment, outcomes

Two projects recognised in NHMRC's Ideas and Development grants scheme

Two separate projects that aim to improve treatments and outcomes for cancer patients, led by the University of Wollongong’s (UOW) Centre for Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP), have been awarded more than $2 million in funding from the National Health Medical Research Centre (NHMRC).

Associate Professor Olga Martin, from UOW’s School of Physics, is Chief Investigator of a project that will investigate microbeam radiotherapy as a new treatment for tumours that are difficult to cure with conventional therapies. The groundbreaking research, which brings together an incredible team of global collaborators, received $1,310,509 over four years from the NHMRC’s 2024 Ideas Grant scheme.

Associate Professor Martin said the project, titled Boosting conventional radiotherapy with microbeams to advance cancer treatment outcomes, could transform the treatment of cancers that were considered incurable, improving the quality of life for patients.

“Changing and improving the existing cancer treatment paradigm of radiotherapy is crucial to increasing cancer survival and the quality of life of patients. Cancer radiotherapy begins with a uniform radiation beam, similar to that used for a chest X-ray, and doses are delivered in minutes,” she said.

“Microbeam Radiotherapy (MRT), a novel and experimental form of radiotherapy, employs a non-uniform X-ray beam with an array of parallel planar beams that are a few microns thick and spaced 200-400 microns apart, and a typical dose is delivered in milliseconds. Healthy tissue tolerates microbeam radiotherapy far better than tumours, offering the potential to significantly improve tumour control and reduce toxicity to healthy tissue.”

Alongside investigators Associate Professor Moeava Tehei, Dr Elette Engels, Senior Professor Michael Lerch, and Distinguished Professor Anatoly Rozenfeld from UOW’s Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, the project will bring together researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the University of Melbourne, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the Mayo Clinic in the United States, La Trobe University, and the Prince of Wales Hospital.

Under the NHMRC’s 2024 Development Grants scheme, also announced, Chief Investigator Dr Linh Tran has received $900,463 over three years for a project titled, BioDosi: Revolutionising Quality Assurance of Proton Therapy Plans for Cancer Treatments.

Working with researchers from Prince of Wales Hospital, Westmead Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States, SINTEF in Norway, and ANSTO, Dr Tran and the team will develop BioDosi, a new quality assurance device that can verify the correct dose averaged linear energy transfer (LET) used for proton therapy treatment plans for cancer patients, to ensure the best treatment with minimal damage to healthy tissues. Distinguished Professor Rozenfeld, Senior Professor Lerch, and Professor Marco Petasecca, from UOW’s Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, will contribute to the project as co-investigators.

Dr Tran said it would be particularly beneficial for cancer patients who have tumours that require pinpoint accuracy in their treatments.

“Proton therapy, which uses protons instead of X-rays to cure cancer, is a major advance that allows tumour treatment without damaging surrounding tissues. Proton therapy has the potential to revolutionise cancer treatment for children, whose bodies are developing, and for adults who have tumours close to critical organs, such as the brain. This funding is crucial to finally bring semiconductor microdosimetry invented and developed at CMRP to clinical practice,” she said.

“This project could have significant outcomes for the care and treatment of thousands of cancer patients in Australia and millions more worldwide.”

UOW Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice President (Research and Sustainable Futures) Senior Professor Eileen McLaughlin congratulated Dr Tran and Associate Professor Martin, and their respective teams, on their success in the prestigious NHMRC schemes.

“The potential of these pioneering initiatives to reshape cancer research is immense,” she said. “By harnessing cutting-edge technologies and global collaboration, we are poised to unlock breakthroughs that could not only extend lives but fundamentally improve the quality of life for cancer patients, making a profound impact on individuals and communities around the world."