- Published:
- Thursday 22 June 2023
The Labor Government is investing $1 million in the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre so they can continue to develop mRNA treatments for many hard-to-treat cancers like prostate, bowel and breast cancer.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Industry and Innovation Ben Carroll today toured the Centre with Dr Vihandha Wickramasinghe to announce the next round of funding from the mRNA Victoria Research Acceleration Fund.
Sixteen projects across Victoria will share in $2.7 million for research into mRNA treatments for a range of diseases and health conditions, including various types of cancer, tuberculosis, malaria, and Parkinson’s Disease, including two projects at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
The fund provides one-off grants of up to $500,000 to support research that targets infectious diseases like COVID-19, as well as non-communicable diseases like cancer, metabolic diseases, degenerative diseases and auto-immune diseases.
The Labor Government invested $12.3 million in the Victorian Budget 2023/24 to develop mRNA technology and builds on our $1.3 billion investment in medical reasearch since 2014, creating more than 100,000 secure jobs and training opportunities in the state’s biotech sector.
Victoria has already led the development of mRNA technology in Australia, with Moderna’s mRNA Vaccine manufacturing facility in Clayton under construction – which once complete, will be capable of producing 100 million vaccine doses annually.
Victoria is responsible for almost 60 per cent of Australia’s pharmaceutical exports – making it our highest-value advanced manufactured export.
Quote attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“Victoria is already a world leader in medical research and mRNA technology – researchers are now one step closer to leading mRNA therapies for treatments for cancer that will change the lives of cancer patients and their families.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Industry and Innovation Ben Carroll
“Researchers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre are building our mRNA industry to not only save lives, but also to create secure jobs for workers across the state.”
Quote attributable to Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre CEO Professor Shelley Dolan
“The potential for mRNA to treat cancer is huge. Our world-renowned researchers are building on decades of research excellence to harness the power of mRNA to treat cancer, with benefits for millions of cancer patients worldwide.”