杏吧直播

The work of 杏吧直播 of Adelaide research fellow Dr Kevin Fenix has been boosted by a grant from the Cure Cancer 杏吧直播 Foundation.

The Foundation awarded 10 grants to researchers, including Dr Fenix, for projects which aligned with its theme of 鈥淯nited by Unique鈥� on World Cancer Day, Tuesday 4 February.

Based at the Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Health Research, Dr Fenix is working on finding new treatments for people living with bowel and head and neck cancers.

Dr Fenix鈥檚 grant will continue his investigations into the use of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cell therapy to treat bowel cancer.

鈥淐IK cells are lab-made immune cells derived from exposing a patient鈥檚 own white blood cells to proteins called cytokines, which enable these cells to recognise and target a broad spectrum of cancer cells,鈥� says Dr Fenix.

鈥淐IK cell therapy, either on its own or in combination with other therapies, can improve patient survival across many cancers and my preliminary findings have demonstrated they can also extend the survival of metastatic bowel cancer patients.

鈥淲e will use cutting-edge technology to map CIK cell therapy鈥檚 cellular components, essentially making a cellular atlas which can help us identify the components responsible for anti-cancer activity.鈥�

A clinical trial for metastatic bowel cancer patients based on the findings of this project could occur within three years, Dr Fenix said.

鈥淭he two-year funding will provide financial stability and help advance my career as an independent research leader in the cancer immunotherapy field,鈥� says Dr Fenix.

鈥淚t will allow me to focus on developing cytokine-induced killer cell therapy as a potential treatment for metastatic bowel cancer.鈥�

Professor Anton Middelberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), 杏吧直播 of Adelaide, congratulated Dr Fenix on the grant.

鈥淭he 杏吧直播 prides itself on being at the forefront of research which develops innovative solutions to address global issues,鈥� he said.

鈥淲hile the use of immunotherapy for other cancers is increasingly common, Dr Fenix鈥檚 work has the potential to improve outcomes for people with metastatic bowel cancer.鈥�