A Note from the MHF Biobank
2022 saw a number of changes for the MHF Biobank team but one thing that didn’t change was our absolute admiration and appreciation for those who continue to selflessly support brain cancer research by donating samples. I never cease to be humbled and in awe of the generosity of our community from both people fighting this disease and their loved ones. The hope that they collectively inspire is intangible. My sincere thanks on behalf of everyone at the biobank to the tireless team at MHF for making this collaboration with the community possible.
2022 was a huge year for our team. Working closely with the incredible brain care coordinators Alisha, Elise, Nicole and Tash we’ve maintained close ties with the clinical community to ensure that brain cancer researchers, locally, nationally and internationally have access to a research resource that can help them improve outcomes. In 2022 the MHF Brain cancer biobank;
- Banked 2,120 aliquots (blood samples)
- Banked 218 surgical tumour tissue biopsies
- Distributed 440 blood samples to research projects
- Distributed 321 tissue samples to research projects
Every tissue slide or blood sample represents a gift of hope and a unique piece of the puzzle in unlocking brain cancer. We treasure every sample and feel our sense of hope and excitement renewed each time a sample leaves the bank to be used in an approved research protocol. Even more exciting is seeing the research results and knowing that the samples donated to the MHF biobank are producing data which is being published and shared with the international brain cancer community. It takes time, but every learning is a building block. In the last 12 months the samples donated to the MHF Biobank have resulted in findings presented at or contributing to;
- Twelve scientific meetings (national and international meetings)
- Two academic publications in highly ranked scientific journals
- Five research higher degrees
These findings have been in the areas of early diagnosis, understanding how nerves promote tumour growth, predicting treatment side effects and identifying new treatment targets. We’re proud that we’ve been able to collaborate broadly with research teams across the country at the University of Adelaide, Macquarie Medical School, The University of Melbourne and University of Sydney/Chris O’Brien Lifehouse just to name a few.
As we approach Christmas, we stop to remember that some of the inspiring individuals who have donated to our biobank are no longer with us. We send our deepest sympathies to their friends and families. In particular, we send our love, thoughts and eternal gratitude to the families of the three remarkable individuals who intrusted us with a brain tissue donation following their death. These gifts are invaluable and the contribution they have made to research, with your support, is an enduring legacy in their name. We owe it to them, their memory and to every member of our brain cancer community to keep looking, keep working and keep fighting until we can improve outcomes for people with brain cancer. Until that day, this biobank and everyone who has contributed to it is a source of hope that change will come. Thank you to every single person.
Merry Christmas,
Cass
Cassandra Griffin
Biobanking and Clinical Research Manager (On behalf of the MHF Biobank Team)