Major new cancer centre opens in Sydney

The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and NSW premier Kristina Keneally together opened the new Lowy Cancer Research Centre at Sydney’s University of New South Wales ( UNSW ) this morning.

The $127 million Centre will house some 400 scientists from UNSW’s Faculty of Medicine and Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA), and is the first facility in Australia to bring together childhood and adult cancer research.

“The Lowy Cancer Research Centre is a critical step in supporting our world-leading cancer researchers, whose discoveries will directly translate into better patient care and carry the potential to save generations from cancer,” Mr Rudd said.

Three cancer-fighting drugs developed by the Centre will be in clinical trials this year.

The Centre is named after Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist Frank Lowy and his family, who donated $10 million towards the cost of the new centre. This week Lowy topped the BRW rich-list of Australia’s wealthiest people.

The bulk of the funding will come from The University of NSW ( $51 million ) and the CCIA ( $35 million ), with $18 million and $13 million coming from the NSW and federal government respectively.