Leukaemia Research

Our Research Laboratory was essential to the establishment of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at PMH, greatly improving childhood leukaemia survival rates in WA.

The important part research has played since 1983 is to identify over 50 different types of childhood leukaemia and cancer and through collaboration with the clinicians, specific treatment have been established.

In January 1998 our Research Laboratory commenced work on further testing the link between the P16 gene and poor prognosis in leukaemia patients. It was found in our Laboratory that children whose cells contained the P16 gene had a better than 80% chance of survival. Those without the gene had only a 35% survival rate. If the link between the P16 and poor prognosis is proved internationally children with leukaemia will be screened for the gene at the time of diagnosis.

Those children without the gene would receive more intensive chemotherapy and other treatment options could be explored.

As you can well image the results of this study are of vital importance for the future treatment of children with leukaemia.

This project represents an international collaboration as the specimens are being provided to our Laboratory by the Children's Cancer Group of Los Angeles, USA. The Children's Cancer Group is the largest co-operative clinical laboratory research group in the field of childhood cancer in the world. Hence the Laboratory as well as all our patients greatly benefit from being a member.

Cell Cultivation

Underpinning research into childhood cancer has been the Laboratory's success with cancer cell cultivation.

Growing leukaemia & cancer cells in the laboratory is extremely difficult, as most cancer cells do not grow when placed in tissue culture. The Laboratory has successfully pioneered cancer cell cultivation, and is well regarded for its expertise in this area.Without the Laboratory's work, many different research projects around the world could not be undertaken.

Institutes in England, The Netherlands, France, USA, Japan and the east coast of Australia have all been recipients of cell lines grown right here in WA.