Yesterday we celebrated International Clinical Trials Day

Haematology Clinical trials offer blood cancer patients access to the latest and potentially life-saving treatments, that are not available as standard therapy.

It was Associate Professor Chan Cheah’s dream to offer more trials in Western Australia and to give WA patients HOPE. With Chan’s determination, the dedication of the Blood Cancer Research Team and Steering Committee, the generous donations, our supporters, and the extremely hard-work off all staff working across the Sites we collaborate with (SCGH, LINEAR and HPH).. this dream is becoming a reality and we dedicated yesterday to them by saying THANK YOU!

Today, there are 21 openly recruiting haematology clinical trials. As a comparison, there were only 9 trials open to recruitment the month before BCRWA launched in September 2018. More trials will be opening this year so please keep up-to-date with our website and follow us on Instagram & Facebook for the latest updates.

We continue to needs funds to ensure BCRWA can continue to run and provide HOPE for blood cancer patients in WA. Please donate to “WA Blood Cancer Research” if you can via our wonderful supporter Snowdome, who drive to make blood cancer research a possibility in Australia:  https://www.snowdome.org.au/donate
*All donations are tax deductible and 100% of the donation is received by BCRWA

A/Prof Chan Cheah, Director of BCRWA and Clinical Haematologist, has kindly shared another video on COVID-19 for blood cancer patients. Chan discusses visits to your doctor, your risk as an immune compromised group, exercise, the importance of washing your hands and how the virus is spread.

WA is luckily in one of the best positions globally right now but we need to follow Government advice to continue to keep it this way. BCRWA have been working tirelessly, as always, for their patients and will continue to keep you updated on all things blood cancer related in Western Australia.

WA Lymphoma Specialist and Director of Blood Cancer Research WA,
Associate Professor Chan Cheah, and @lymphomaaustralia provide a video update for patients on COVID-19

Blood Cancer Research WA would like to start this week with some positive news, by welcoming our new Lymphoma Clinical Nurse Consultant, Helena Furdas, to our team!

Helena graduated from nursing at Curtin University in 2009 and shortly thereafter began her haematology experience in 2010 whilst working at Royal Perth Hospital on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Since then she has continued to work in haematology and in 2015 transitioned with the State Centre for Allogeneic stem cell transplant to Fiona Stanley Hospital. Here she enjoyed working in the Cancer Centre providing care for patients to keep them well, happy and out of hospital.

As the newest member of the team Helena is excited to be the Lymphoma CNC and looks forward to helping patients navigate their journey through lymphoma.

#bloodcancerresearchwa #bcrwa #bloodcancer #haematology #westernaustralia #perth

 People at Risk for Serious illness from COVID-19

Blood Cancer Research WA would like to share the latest advice from WA’s North Metropolitan Health Service for people at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please click on the below PDF to view this information.

People at Risk for Serious illness from COVID-19

On Friday, Blood Cancer Research WA were honoured to attend @worldsgreatestshave in Perth where (along with family & friends) we supported Haematology Clinical Trial Nurse, Trina, in her Big Shave! Trina really did ‘brave the shave’ and we think her amazing smile says it all!

Trina raised a whopping $3673.94 for @leukaemia_foundation and donated 11 plaits of 50cm length hair to be made into much needed wigs.

*interesting fact* all of the small shavings of hair from the Big Shave are made into Sea Mops which are used to mop up oil from the oceans. How cool is that!?

Well done Trina! You have inspired us. Not only do you look incredible, you have done a wonderful thing for patients and families affected by blood cancer🩸

#leaukaemiafoundation #worldsgreatestshave #shavingtheworldfromcancer #bloodcancer #bloodcancernurse #bloodcancerpatient #bloodcancerresearchwa #westernaustralia #perth

March is MYELOMA awareness month

Myeloma is a type of blood cancer that currently has no cure.

With the help of research, new treatment options can be offered to patients, and hopefully one day we can find a cure for this cruel cancer. That’s why Clinical Trials are vital for patients with blood cancer.

#multiplemyelomaawarenessmonth #myeloma #research #clinicaltrials #bloodcancer #bloodcancerresearchwa #givingHOPEtoWestAustralia

BGB-11417-101:
Latest Trial now open at LINEAR Research Institute!

In humans, the BCL2 gene helps regulate cell death or life. A specific protein called Bcl-2 is pro-survival, helping to keep cells alive. Some cancer cells express to much BCL-2 protein, which reduces the cells death response. Over-expression of the protein is a common finding in leukaemias and lymphomas

This phase 1 study offers patients with mature B-Cell malignancies a tablet of BGB-11417 which is a Bcl-2 inhibitor. This drug is a 2nd generation Bcl-2 inhibitor, other Bcl-2 inhibitor currently used in lymphomas and leukaemias have shown very promising results.

For more information about this trial, visit our website: www.bloodcancerwa.org/trials

#cancer #bloodcancer #bloodcancerresearchwa #clinicaltrials #perth #westernaustralia #savinglives

Blood Cancer Research WA have a vacancy

We are seeking to recruit a Haematology Clinical Research Fellow to work within our dedicated BCRWA team in Perth, Western Australia.

The successful candidate will play a VITAL role in the function of a busy clinical trials unit, with studies ranging from phase I-III across lymphoma, myeloma and leukaemia.

Come and work alongside a brilliant team in and live in Australia’s best kept secret!

CLOSING DATE: 15th March 2020
For the full Job Description and further details please visit the careers page on our website: https://www.bloodcancerwa.org.au/careers/

#bloodcancerresearchwa #bcrwa #haematologyfellow #research #perth #westernaustralia

The AMF13 trial has now been activated at LINEAR research institute

As a type of immunotherapy, AFM13 does not kill cancer cells directly but encourages the body’s own immune system to seek out and destroy the cells. It works by activating a type of immune cell, called a natural killer (NK) cell, and directing them to destroy the cancerous cells which harbour CD30, a molecule seen commonly on T-cell lymphoma cancer cells.

When the natural killer cell is linked to the cancerous cell by AFM13 binding, its cell-killing ability is activated. This results in the body’s own immune cells destroying the cancer in a targeted manner.

For further details on the trial, visit our Trials page on our website: https://www.bloodcancerwa.org.au/trials/