Murdoch Childrens Research Institute

News

It is with great pleasure and pride we announce that Equity-One will officially support the great work of the very talented people at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

Managing Director Dean Koutsoumidis, Non-Executive Director Frank Troise and Deputy Portfolio Manager Tom Danaher attended the very-impressive new facilities adjoining the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and had the pleasure of being taken on a Tour by Cale Wilkinson, Manager of Trusts & Foundations, Engagement and Philanthropy .


There we were introduced to the following researchers:

1. Pneumococcal Research

First stop we met Dr Eileen Dunne – who specialises in Pneumococcal Vaccine Development. The work of Dr Dunne and her research team is largely funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and part of a coordinated global effort to reduce the number of children who die from pneumonia in developing countries. More on the importance of this work can be found here https://www.mcri.edu.au/users/professor-kim-mulholland/blog/pneumonia-%E2%80%93-most-important-paediatric-problem-world

Recently Bill & Melinda Gates wrote a fantastic letter to Warren Buffett, talking about the “impact” that his donation had made. It’s no surprise that they see Vaccines and their increasing effectiveness  availability in developing countries as the main reason for the reduction of infant mortality across the globe. They also add that for those developing countries, “”For every dollar spent on childhood immunizations, you get $44 in economic benefits.” It’s well worth a read.

The complete letter can be found here: https://www.gatesnotes.com/2017-Annual-Letter?WT.mc_id=02_14_2017_02_AL2017_MED-TLK_&WT.tsrc=MEDTLK

2. Stem Cells & Gastric Cancer

Second met with Dr Treve Menheniott, who is studying gastric cancer and looking closely at the role of stem cells in the genesis of this disease.  Stem Cells, and their use in medical research, is a major research priority for MCRI.  For a great summary of the work on campus relating to Stem Cells please take a look here https://www.mcri.edu.au/research/priorities/stem-cell-medicine

3. Children’s Cancer Centre Tissue Bank

Lastly we met with Dr Louise Ludlow who is the coordinator of the Children’s Cancer Centre Tissue Bank.  Louise gave us the sense that this is critical resource for their cancer research, and samples collected and stored there are provided to research groups across Australia and the globe.  The bank is an incredibly valuable collection of samples such as solid tumour tissue, blood and bone marrow that have been preserved with the utmost care and dignity for future clinical and research purposes. Samples are taken from consenting patients, processed and placed into storage where they are then made available for further clinical testing and ethically approved research projects such as clinical trials. The ultimate aim is to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment for children with these conditions.

https://www.mcri.edu.au/research/projects/children%E2%80%99s-cancer-centre-tissue-bank

If you would like to learn more about the MCRI or would like to support them, please go to https://www.mcri.edu.au for further information .