Thanks to a $10 million donation, Cabrini Health, in partnership with Monash University, is aiming to transform cancer care for Victorians.
The donation will establish a genomic testing program at Cabrini, which will provide personalised, precision treatment for up to 2,000 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.
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 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," added Professor Richardson.
The $10 million 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. 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.
"If patients enter a system with closer monitoring and access to genomic sequencing, it's proven they do much better," said Professor Richardson. "This donation represents a significant step forward in the fight against cancer."
