Introducing the LICR Melbourne Centre for Clinical Sciences
Centers for Clinical Sciences are a new concept for LICR. Centers will be funded under the Programs and Clinical Trials budgets, have a primary focus on clinical, rather than laboratory, sciences and will typically be located within a hospital. This is in contrast to Branches, which are funded under the usual Branch budget, have a primary focus on basic laboratory sciences and are typically located within a university or research institute. Senior staff at the Centers will often hold joint appointments as practising clinicians. Centers will be the principal sites for LICR clinical trials. Allied ‘Clinical Sites’ will be engaged periodically to enhance patient recruitment for specific projects or Programs.
The ‘LICR Melbourne Centre for Clinical Sciences’ has been created by the administrative separation of the Melbourne Branch’s ‘Austin Campus’ (located at Austin Health (Hospital) in Heidelberg) and the ‘Parkville Campus’ (located at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Parkville). The ‘Melbourne Centre’ was spun off to provide a site for translational research integrated with activities being undertaken elsewhere in the Institute.
The Melbourne Centre will primarily undertake clinical and translational research, but in addition will also incorporate basic laboratory research that supports the Centre activities. Thematic research in antibody therapeutics (Andrew M. Scott, MD), cancer vaccines (Jonathan S. Cebon, MD, PhD), T cell biology (Weisan Chen PhD), tumor cell signaling (Terry Johns, PhD) and uro-oncology (Ian Davis, MD, PhD) will be undertaken in the Centre, and will involve close integration of translational and basic research with clinical trials A joint medical oncology program with Austin Health (the Joint Austin/Ludwig Oncology Unit, headed by Jonathan S. Cebon, MD, PhD) and involvement in molecular imaging (Positron Emission Tomography, directed by Andrew M. Scott MD) will be key components of the Centre.
Andrew M. Scott M.D.
The Centre Director is Andrew M. Scott M.D., former Associate Director (Clinical) of the Melbourne Branch and Head of the Tumor Targeting Laboratories. Dr. Scott is a central figure in the global Antibody Targeting Program, and has contributed significantly to LICR’s clinical trials, particularly as head of the Biological Production Facility (BPF) in Melbourne.
As part of the reorganization at the Melbourne Centre, the activities of the BPF have been restructured. The BPF has, over the last 10 years, successfully manufactured five monoclonal antibodies, developed and constituted 15 peptide and three protein cancer vaccines, and formulated one tyrosine kinase inhibitor. We are now opting to out-source antibody production while retaining our strong expertise in cell-line development and antibody engineering. In addition, the infrastructure in Melbourne will continue to support the development, storage and distribution of biologicals and ‘Good Manufacturing Practice’ (GMP) documentation for LICR’s clinical trials, and as such the facility has been re-flagged as the LICR ‘Biological Development Facility.’