THE launch of a new robotic system in Canberra will allow researchers to test thousands of possible drug compounds against hundreds of disease cells to find treatments for cancers and other diseases.
New robotic system. Photo by James Walsh.
The launch was a collaboration between the Australian National University (ANU), the ACT Minister for Health and the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF).
The High Throughput Robotic Target and Drug Discovery Screening Platform, in the ACRF Department of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics at the John Curtin School of Medical Research at ANU, is the first technology of its kind in the ACT.
ACT centenary chair of cancer research professor Ross Hannan says the new technology would increase research collaboration and lead to more rapid drug discoveries in the fight against cancer and many other diseases.
“This is an exciting time for research collaboration across the ACT. The multi-million dollar equipment will cut screening times from years to months,” says professor Hannan.
Until now, researchers in the ACT needed to travel to Sydney or Melbourne to use similar machines. They would also need to stay for months while the testing was done.
The initiative was made possible in part by an ACRF $2 million grant, awarded in 2015, to provide the equipment to screen native Australian plants for anti-cancer properties.
ACRF chief executive officer professor Ian Brown says it was inspiring to see researchers at ANU playing an important part in pushing cancer research forward.
“With the funding from the ACRF, a private foundation supported by community members who are interested in advancing cancer research, researchers can work towards tangible treatments that will benefit future patients,” says professor Brown.
Professor Hannan says the technology could give new hope to patients with diseases that have failed all standard therapies and who have no other options.
“We now have the potential to repurpose drugs, testing against more than 4000 drugs in the FDA drug library that have been approved for use in humans to treat disease,” he says.
“In one to two weeks we could identify existing drugs, repurpose them for new treatments, and rapidly set up trials.”
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