October 3, 2022

We’re so excited with two new research partnerships underway this year – funding research is vital in our quest to beat bowel cancer.
 
Our first partnership is with the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research for their CAR T-cell clinical research programme.
 
Our support will help their talented researchers develop cancer-killing CAR T-cells that are more durable and more effective at targeting different types of tumours – including those found in bowel cancer.
 
A one-off treatment, it works by redirecting a patient’s own immune cells (T-cells) in the laboratory, to directly identify and attack cancer cells. These modified T-cells are then returned to the patient, where they can attack and destroy cancer cells. CAR T-cells have the potential to act as ‘living drugs’, providing long-term protection against relapse.
 
You can find out more about their CAR T-cell research here: https://www.malaghan.org.nz/our-research/car-t-cell/
 
Our second partnership is with K9 Medical Detection. K9MD’s vision is to create a simple diagnostic urine test for the early detection of bowel cancer, using their German Shepherd canines, Levi, Weta, and Hero. The dogs detect the odour from the specific volatile organic compounds released from bowel cancer.
 
These amazing dogs complete a validation for the completion of the “Proof of Concept” stage. The results were world leading with a success of 98.4% sensitivity (correctly identifying those with a disease) and 100% success specificity (correctly identifying those without a disease). Next is the “Diagnostic Accuracy” stage to estimate sensitivity and specificity with patient urine samples in real world conditions.
 
“If we can find those patients who are more likely to have bowel cancer through early detection from K9 Medical Detection, we can push them to the front of the colonoscopy queue and save more lives”, say the K9MD team.
 
 
We’re thrilled about these collaborations and to be a part of this incredible research that will undoubtedly save lives.