"This is where policy meets practice – Brain Cancer Australia is not just collecting data, they’re using it to actively improve how care is delivered."
Professor Dorothy Keefe, CEO, Cancer Australia
National Collaboration Driving More Brain Cancer Breakthroughs - Faster
Researchers, clinicians and consumer representatives from across Australia gathered in Sydney last week to advance a national effort to improve outcomes for brain cancer patients.
More than 40 collaborators came together for Brain Cancer Australia's annual MRFF Research Infrastructure Grant meeting. The grant is supporting the development of three national platforms designed to accelerate research and improve patient care
The platforms – the Australian Brain Cancer Registry, the Opt Me In patient enrolment and clinical trials platform, and a national Biobanking and Organoid Platform – are being developed by 47 leading brain cancer clinicians and researchers from 33 institutions across Australia, in collaboration with 12 partner organisations.
Addressing the meeting, Cancer Australia CEO Professor Dorothy Keefe congratulated the team on the work and said the platforms will enable a learning health system, where data informs real-time care and improved quality and consistency.
"This is where policy meets practice – Brain Cancer Australia is not just collecting data, they’re using it to actively improve how care is delivered, reduce variation, and ultimately lift outcomes for brain cancer patients across the country,” Professor Keefe said.
Brain Cancer Australia National Consortium Chair, Professor Lindy Jeffree, shared an update on the significant progress made since the work commenced, highlighting the Australian Brain Cancer Registry (ABCR) as a cornerstone of the program.
"There are only a handful of countries attempting to establish brain cancer registries. The ABCR is unique – and the best in the world – because it captures population-wide data across the entire patient journey, analyses that data against best-practice standards and feeds that information back to hospitals and clinicians to help identify opportunities to improve care."
Professor Jeffree also stated that data from across Queensland was now included in the ABCR, with New South Wales to follow shortly and additional states to be added over time.
"When the NSW data is in, this will represent half of Australia's brain cancer patient population and enable us to identify and address unwarranted variation in care, helping ensure more patients receive best-practice treatment.”
Attendees also heard from Professor Bryan Day on advances with the Biobanking and Organoid Platform – highlighting how cross-lab collaboration in developing cutting-edge tumour models can drive a better understanding of brain cancer biology, in turn leading to new treatments.
Brain Cancer Australia Founder and Director, Robyn Leonard, closed the meeting by reflecting on what can be achieved when researchers, clinicians and institutions work together towards a common goal.
"Eleven years ago, when we started talking about creating a national brain cancer biobanking network, it felt ambitious — unrealistic even. Today, we are a national consortium supporting three national research infrastructure platforms. Together, we have created something unique, not just in Australia, but globally. It has been possible because people have been willing to work differently in pursuit of better outcomes for patients and families."
The annual grant meeting was generously sponsored by Servier.
Prof John Simes, Senior Associate Director, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre; Medical Oncologist, RPA Hospital; Professor, Clinical Epidemiology, University of Sydney; Director, Brain Cancer Australia Charity, Member, Brain Cancer Australia National Consortium Steering Committee
