Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute

21/11/2025

Stomach, or gastric, cancer is often challenging to diagnose because early stages can have no symptoms, or the symptoms are mistaken for common gastrointestinal issues.

Therefore, stomach cancer is often caught at an advanced stage, especially in younger people, and treatment options are less effective and can have significant side effects.

ONJCRI Laboratory Head Dr Lisa Mielke’s research is focused on tackling this challenge.

“Treatment for stomach cancer can be effective if the disease is caught early.

Our research aims to develop effective and tolerable treatments by developing more targeted treatments.”

🔬 A recent breakthrough achieved by her team was the discovery of a link between the nervous system in stomach and bowel cancer:

“Our research has identified that neuropeptides produced by nerves and tumours can promote the growth of stomach cancers.

This research has opened up a potential new treatment avenue that we are currently pursuing in the lab and hope to progress to the clinic.”

💛 Dr Mielke’s message for Stomach Cancer Awareness Month:

“ONJCRI researchers are working tirelessly to develop new and improved treatments and spread awareness of the increasing incidence of stomach cancer in younger people.”

Learn more about Dr Mielke’s team’s latest discovery: https://ow.ly/pr2r50XvcWa

18/11/2025

🎉 Pankind 2025 Research Grants 🎉

We are delighted to share that A/Prof Peter Janes and A/Prof Doug Fairlie have received Pankind 2025 Research grants.

A timely announcement for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

This funding will allow our two talented researchers to push the boundaries of pancreatic cancer research:

⭐️ A/Prof Peter Janes will pursue research into novel antibody-based drugs to directly target pancreatic tumours.

⭐ A/Prof Doug Fairlie will investigate drug combinations that target the factors cancer cells need to survive, making treatments more effective

With pancreatic cancer remaining one of the most difficult-to-treat cancers, more research in this space is urgently needed.

Congratulations to both of our talented researchers on this success!

➡️ Read more: https://ow.ly/cMEz50XsqUk

Pankind, Pancreatic Cancer Australia

16/11/2025

🔬 New avenues for pancreatic cancer treatment 🔬

Despite the advances in cancer medicine, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat.

Survival outcomes have seen little improvement over the past decade, highlighting the urgent need for more effective therapies.

ONJCRI is home to several laboratories dedicated to improving diagnostics and treatments for pancreatic cancer.

After completing her medical degree, Dr Purva Trivedi worked as a pathologist at a cancer hospital in India, where she was introduced to the concept of tumour immunology, or using the body’s own immune system to eliminate cancer cells.

Today, Dr Trivedi is a second-year PhD student at ONJCRI. Her work focuses on utilising the concept of tumour immunology to treat cancer more effectively, and recent research by the lab she is part of could create new avenues for pancreatic cancer care.

💡 “Our lab has found that blocking a protein called HCK can improve outcomes in preclinical models.

“We are now studying how blocking HCK can reprogram immune cells to eliminate cancer cells efficiently.

“Understanding these changes will lead to the development of more effective pancreatic cancer treatments.”

🎗️ Dr Trivedi’s message for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month:

“We are hopeful that new therapies targeting immune cells will help improve outcomes for people with pancreatic cancer.”

➡️ Watch this animation created by Dr Trivedi to learn more about her research: https://ow.ly/Y8U050XpMlN

➡️ Discover our laboratories researching pancreatic cancer: https://ow.ly/wajy50XpMnb

13/11/2025

🎓 ONJCRI Student Symposium 2025 💡

The ONJCRI Student Committee hosted their annual Student Symposium, bringing together our vibrant student community for a day of science, insight, and inspiration.

The day was filled with fantastic student presentations showcasing the depth and diversity of research across the institute.

👏 Prizes for the best presentations were awarded to:
∙ Dr Purva Trivedi – Best 10-Minute Talk & People’s Choice Award
∙ Evelyn Yang – Best 4-Minute Talk

A huge thank you to our expert panel of judges: Dr Moritz Eissmann, Dr Mario Djajawi, Dr Annalisa Carli, Dr Gemma Trollope, and Dr Margs Brennan, for their time, insight, and encouragement.

Our judges also joined a fireside chat, where they shared their journey through academia, offered advice on navigating experiments, and discussed overcoming challenges in research.

Special sessions included Dr David Vaux’s “Roasting a Scientific Paper: Misconducts and Ethics in Science”, an eye-opening discussion on identifying trustworthy research and maintaining integrity in science.

An engaging talk was also presented by John Roiniotis, a Merck Life Sciences representative, who provided valuable insights into career opportunities beyond academia.

A huge thank you to all our students, speakers, and organisers who made the day such a success. Events like these remind us of the passion, curiosity, and collaboration that drive our ONJCRI community forward 🌟
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La Trobe University

07/11/2025

Last week, our friends at Strong Pilates Frankston hosted ‘A Night for ONJCRI: an inspiring fundraiser in support of breast cancer research’ 💪✨

Guests enjoyed a STRONG mini-Pilates class, flash tattoos, eyebrow sculpting, a raffle and delicious pizza, all while raising funds for research into how and why breast cancer spreads.

It was a privilege to hear from two STRONG community members, Fiona and Mary, who shared their personal experiences with breast cancer.

ONJCRI's Dr Jean Berthelet gave a heartfelt talk about how breast cancer has touched his life, and how his research aims to make a difference.

Dr Berthelet’s team is using an innovative “optical barcoding” approach, tagging cancer cells with unique molecular “passports” that allow them to track how a cancer cell spreads to different organs, and find ways to stop this from happening.

We are grateful to STRONG Pilates Frankston, their amazing community, and everyone who came along, donated, and supported the cause.

💛 Your energy and generosity make a real difference to the future of cancer research

If your workplace or community would like to host a fundraiser in support of lifesaving cancer research, visit our Support Us page to learn more: https://ow.ly/G8CQ50XoaWx

05/11/2025

🖼️ Science Meets Art 2025 🔬

ONJCRI was delighted to host our third Science Meets Art exhibition, welcoming members of the community, patient advocates and our supporters.

Our guests admired beautiful artworks, from microscope imagery to sculptures, created by our talented researchers and Research Support team.

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s competition:
• Dr Pavitha Parathan – First prize, for The Second Brain in the Colon
• Dr Dilshan Gunasinghe – Second place, for Illuminating gamma delta T cell immunosurveillance
• Rebecca Brown – Patient Advocates’ Choice, for The Beginning
• Dr Michael Murrey – People’s Choice, for Macrophage & Tumour Cell Stamp Set

🎉 The evening also marked an important milestone: the launch of our new Patient Advocacy Program.

The Program will empower people who have been affected by cancer, as a patient, carer or loved one, to share their voice and experience to support lifesaving cancer research.

A huge thank you to the North East Community Fund for making this event possible.

And thank you to our team members who shared their talent, and the Science Meets Art Committee for making this powerful event come to life!

➡️ To learn more about our Patient Advocacy Program, visit: https://ow.ly/NHHN50XmRQE
➡️ To explore our gallery of artworks, visit: https://ow.ly/bJg850XmRQC

02/11/2025

ONJCRI joins AAMRI in calling on the Federal Government to release the full Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) in the 2026–27 Federal Budget.

The MRFF was created to deliver $1 billion every year in sustainable funding for lifesaving research, but currently, only about $650 million is being released.

Without action, critical research will stall, and lifesaving treatments will be delayed.

Visit https://aamri.org.au/mrff/ to email your local Member of Parliament, and help secure the future of medical research.

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) was created to deliver at least $1 billion each year to support Australian medical research.

Right now, only around $650 million is being released — while programs are being cut, researchers are leaving, and discoveries that could save lives are delayed.

The funds exist. The financial modelling is clear. What’s missing is action.

Join the call to release the full Medical Research Future Fund and secure the future of Australian research. Learn more and take action → www.aamri.org.au/mrff

31/10/2025

Research thrives when it connects with the communities it serves 🩷

Last week, the team at ELMO Software invited ONJCRI breast cancer researcher Dr Kellie Mouchemore to speak about her work at their morning tea fundraiser.

For our researchers, meeting the people who back their work is a reminder that science is a team effort.

Behind every step forward in cancer research is a community of supporters who believe in a better future.

Thank you to organiser Janine Maligina and the entire ELMO team for your generosity, your compassion, and your commitment to driving real change.

Interested in organising a workplace fundraiser to support cancer research? Learn more: https://ow.ly/hKL250XkGTs

29/10/2025

🌟 New trial sites have been activated for the BIL-PPP phase II study for advanced cholangiocarcinoma, making the study accessible to more Australians.

The study has been active since October 2024, and has already enrolled 10 patients from this rare cohort. Four new sites across VIC, NSW, QLD and SA have joined the study, bringing the total to six sites nationwide.

For patients with this rare bile duct cancer, more sites mean less travel and faster access to treatment.

The study is coordinated by the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) and sponsored by the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG).

The BIL-PPP study is investigating the effectiveness of the combination of durvalumab and olaparib in advanced cholangiocarcinoma after initial chemotherapy and durvalumab.

Cholangiocarcinomas are a rare and aggressive type of cancer that forms in the bile ducts. They are typically diagnosed in advanced stages and are associated with poor prognosis.

➡️ Read more: https://ow.ly/hNkO50XjsAK

➡️ Learn more about the BIL-PPP trial: https://ow.ly/EfvO50XjsAL

The BIL-PPP trial is funded by the Wayne Elphinstone Memorial Fund, AstraZeneca, and GI Cancer Institute (AGITG).
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28/10/2025

Our team spoke with 10 News First about a recent research breakthrough: the gut's nervous system influences bowel cancer growth.

💡 The findings could open up innovative treatment avenues for patients.

The research was led by Dr Pavitha Parathan and Dr Lisa Mielke, and published in BMJ Oncology.

Thank you to the wonderful Jemima for sharing her story, and Bowel Cancer Australia for celebrating this discovery with our team.

➡️ Learn more: https://ow.ly/5u7h50XiNrQ
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This video has been shared with permission from the network for use on our social media platforms.

24/10/2025

💡 Link between bowel cancer and nervous system 💡

ONJCRI researchers have linked two nervous system components to bowel cancer growth, creating promising new avenues for treatment with existing approved therapies.

Our gut contains its very own nervous system and is regarded as the second brain. Key players of this system are neuropeptides, the signalling factors that are produced and released by nerves. These factors relay messages throughout our nervous system by connecting to receptors on the outside of cells.

The researchers discovered that CGRP, a common neuropeptide, and its receptor influence bowel cancer growth.

This finding is significant because drugs targeting CGRP have recently been approved to treat migraine, and these learnings suggest they could be repurposed for bowel cancer.

ONJCRI researcher and lead author of the paper published in BMJ Oncology, Dr Pavitha Parathan, says:

“This is a nerve–tumour pathway with existing therapies that are already well tolerated in other diseases, supporting ONJCRI’s goal of making cancer treatments not just effective, but kinder and easier on the patient.”

With the learnings from this research, the team will next investigate the effect of these existing migraine therapies on tumour growth. The aim is to generate promising results that could support a case for early clinical trials.

According to Bowel Cancer Australia, bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer nationally, with around 15,000 people diagnosed annually, and it is the deadliest cancer for Australians aged 25 to 54.

➡️ Read more about this research: https://www.onjcri.org.au/news/link-between-bowel-cancer-nervous-system

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📸 Pictured: Dr Lisa Mielke (paper senior author), Dr Pavitha Parathan (paper lead author)
Bowel Cancer Australia

23/10/2025

We are thrilled to have become partners with the Children's Cancer CoLab and look forward to working together to improve outcomes for children with cancer.

We're thrilled to welcome the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) as the Children's Cancer CoLab’s ninth research partner. ONJCRI brings world-class research capabilities to our collaborative network:

🔬 Specialised expertise: Leading research in childhood leukaemia - the most common form of childhood cancer.

🧬 World-class platforms: Advanced gene editing technology and tumour microenvironment research that will benefit all consortium partners.

💡 Translational excellence: A proven track record of turning laboratory discoveries into real-world clinical applications.

🎯 Focused research: Dr Teresa Sadras leads ONJCRI’s childhood cancer program, tackling therapy resistance in leukaemia and lymphoma through cutting-edge molecular biology, immunology, and clinical trials.

ONJCRI strengthens our capacity to accelerate childhood cancer research and achieve better outcomes for young cancer patients everywhere.

ONJCRI now joins our other CoLab research partners: Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute - MCRI, WEHI - Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Monash Children's Hospital, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, and Monash University.

Together, we're creating a future where every child with cancer can survive and thrive.

Learn more about our new research partnership: https://www.cccolab.org.au/news-stories/onjcri-new-research-partner

Children's Cancer Foundation Victorian Government News