Here's an article from The AGE today aswell, while the opening of the Research Lab in Adelaide is obviously of no direct relevance to PYC the article still plays a good part in highlighting the diease and the significant relevance of being able to cross the blood-brain barrier an area Phylogica is now actively persuing with Roche.
The second underlined paragraph is the type of area i'd suspect Phylogica have been persuing in partnership with Cambridge University & MRC Hutchinson
New research to probe brain cancer barrier
Tim Dornin May 25, 2011 - 2:49PM
AAP
Dean Bowman's fatal brain tumour came out of the blue.
His wife June said there were few warning signs, just some minor vision problems that were put down to the former Santos executive needing new glasses.
He was also a little tired but that was blamed on his busy work schedule.
"It came from nowhere," Mrs Bowman said. It really was quite devastating.
"We had no idea - the signs and symptoms were very general, very vague."
In fact, by the time it was diagnosed, the tumour was already quite large. With his cancer inoperable and unaffected by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, within months Mr Bowman had died.
But his case is hardly unusual. Professor Bob Vink, the head of School of Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide, said brain cancer had an almost 100 per cent fatality rate.
More than 1400 people die each year in Australia and it accounts for more than one-third of cancer deaths in children aged under 10.
Some tumours can be surgically removed but most respond poorly to other forms of treatment.
While the cancer cells are able to cross the barrier from the blood into brain tissues, the chemotherapy drugs to kill them cannot.
Just why cancer cells can cross the barrier is to be the focus of research at a new brain tumour laboratory based at the NeuroSurgical Research Foundation in Adelaide.
It will bear Mr Bowman's name and will be supported by funding from Santos and money raised by the South Australian police.
Lead researcher Kate Lewis said her team would target how to stop cancers entering the brain and crossing the barrier.
She said it appeared an inflammatory agent was a work, making the barrier "leaky" and allowing substances to travel between the cells.
"What we're trying to figure out is how the tumour cells act on that barrier to make it more leaky to be able to get through," Ms Lewis said.
"We're looking at trying to prevent the tumours from getting in there in the first place, rather than trying to treat them once they are there."
For June Bowman and her family, any breakthrough will obviously be too late.
But she said the optimism of the research team reflected the attitude of her husband and gave her something "positive to hang on to".
"It was a sad time, but something really good has come out of it," she said.
"If they can find the clues, then that may save other people going through the same thing we did."
A personalised tool to help users track selected stocks. Delivering real-time notifications on price updates, announcements, and performance stats on each to help make informed investment decisions.
(20min delay)