One stop shop for cancer research

A $100 million 'one-stop-shop' for cancer research will be built at the Randwick campus of the University of New South Wales, the university has announced.

Combining up to 400 cancer researchers from UNSW and the Children's Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA), the new centre will combine both childhood and adult cancer research.

UNSW Vice-Chancellor Professor Fred Hilmer said the facility would be named the Lowy Cancer Research Centre, in recognition of businessman Frank Lowy and his family, who have donated $10 million to the cost of construction of the new building.

Other funding has come from individual donors, trusts, foundations and grants awarded to CCIA by the NSW State Government ($18.3m), the Commonwealth Government ($13.3m), and most recently the Australian Cancer Research Foundation ($3.1m).

Construction of the building is expected to begin in October this year, with a scheduled completion date of late 2009.

"The centre is the first stage of a major redevelopment of the university's medical facilities," Hilmer said.

"It is also a significant addition to the Randwick medical precinct, being closely linked with Prince of Wales Hospital, the Royal Hospital for Women and the Sydney Children's Hospital.

He said the centre would bring together renowned UNSW scientists such as Philip Hogg, Robyn Ward and Levon Khachigian with CCIA researchers such as its executive director, Professor Michelle Haber.

"Bringing the two areas together will lead to new insights and discoveries," he said.

Haber said the CCIA would occupy 50 per cent of the new building and would establish a dedicated childhood cancer drug discovery facility there, following a $3.1 million grant from the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF).

The facility will focus on the development of new drugs that will be less toxic and more effective in the treatment of a range of cancers, she said.

"What is most important about the centre is that it brings us that much closer to our goal of finding a cure for childhood cancer which tragically still claims three Australian lives each week."

The dean of UNSW's Faculty of Medicine, Professor Peter Smith, said the new centre would also house a dedicated cancer bioinformatics and data management facility, which will link research activities in the centre with cancer registries, clinical trials centres and overseas networks.

"This will improve the treatment and survival of people with cancer, by providing a nexus between these areas," Smith said.

"It will also help to train the next generation of research leaders, with postgraduate students able to work with many of the top scientists in the field."

UNSW chancellor David Gonski praised the Lowy donation said it was important that such significant support had been forthcoming from the private sector.

"It will hopefully serve as an inspiration to others who could make a major contribution to education and life saving, ground-breaking research in this country," Gonski said.

"We need to move further towards a culture of giving in Australia, to support our universities and other institutions that contribute to the public good. Philanthropic leadership from individuals, as well as from the business community, is particularly significant if that culture is to be fostered."