CASS Foundation Grant to support a study testing a DNA vaccine for brain cancer

Congratulations to Dr Theo Mantamadiotis, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, on securing a CASS Foundation Medicine Science Grant for his ongoing research

In 2008, we discovered that the archetypal haematopoietic transcription factor, c-Myb, is crucial for normal brain development. We have since shown that c-Myb is overexpressed in malignant brain cancer and undetectable in healthy brain tissue, making it an attractive therapeutic target. Professor Ramsay’s laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has developed a novel vaccine which targets c-Myb, and preliminary evidence in a colon cancer mouse model demonstrates robust anti-tumour activity. Using a unique a pre-clinical brain cancer mouse model we developed, we can now use the c-Myb vaccine to test its efficacy in brain cancer. Notably, this vaccine has been designed for human use and will enter clinical trials in colorectal cancer patients within the next 12 months. A new international Masters in Biomedical Science student will work on a project examining the immune status of brain tumours and test the c-Myb vaccine in mice.