News

Welcome to our latest update. As we emerge out of greater Sydney’s COVID lockdown we are all thrilled to be making our way back into the Institute. The lockdown meant we staggered our team’s time in the lab and we are the champions of Zoom because we did not stop working around the clock to unlock the answers to make asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) history.

There is still much to do and until we can prevent ARDs, provide better treatment options and ultimately cure mesothelioma, we will not rest.

Please join us in this life-saving quest by continuing to support ADRI and for a look inside the Institute and our work, please watch our new video below.

Thank You.

Global Recognition: ADRI designated WHO Collaborating Centre for the Elimination of Asbestos-Related Diseases

This year, a major milestone was achieved when the World Health Organization designated ADRI as its Collaborating Centre for Elimination of Asbestos-Related Diseases.

ADRI’s position as a global leader in asbestos-related diseases and asbestos mitigation was confirmed by this world first designation. Our world class team of researchers, scientists, public health experts and lung nurses have been pro-actively training and teaching health professionals to detect, diagnose and treat asbestos-related diseases since 2017.

Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Naoko Yamamoto said, ‘The World Health Assembly Resolution has called for global campaigns to eliminate asbestos-related diseases and take action on the preventable cancers associated with this exposure. This requires building capacities in countries to improve knowledge and practices.’

‘The WHO has worked with ADRI and Professor Takahashi (Institute Director, ADRI) for many years on this important topic and we are pleased to see this working relationship is now formalised.’

PICTURED ABOVE: Special guest and ADRI Patron, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales unveiling the WHO Designation plaque with Professor Takahashi.

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A 10 year milestone for our Mesothelioma EPP patients Mesothelioma EPP patients

It’s been 10 years since our EPP group first met and after many Zooms during COVID, we were thrilled to at last be able to meet face to face. Over 25 patients, carers and bereaved carers came together for a special morning tea to mark this milestone anniversary (along with some very ‘Big 0’ birthdays celebrated during lockdown) and also to honour and farewell A/Professor Brian McCaughan, a pioneer of the EPP surgery and Advisor to ADRI.

Extra Pleural Pneumonectomy or EPP is the removal of an entire lung along with the pleura that lines the chest wall, heart and diaphragm. NSW is the only state in Australia offering this surgical treatment as part of trimodal therapy that consists of chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy.

Thuy Bridges from Physio Wise presented on the topic of reducing pain and maximising function after EPP. She talked about understanding the muscles, what causes pain as well as the role of myofascial massage. Thuy continues to support ADRI and presented another cheque for funds raised in their practice involving a massage chair.

Hear more about our Patient Support Program…

Next generation sequencer will take us closer to a cure

A Next Generation Sequencer (NGS) may help us find the missing piece of the Asbestos-Related Disease Puzzle and it is number one on our scientist’s wish list.

This is the platform that has revolutionised biological science. Genetic variation is considered to be a cancer driving mechanism and NGS allows scientists to decode the genetic alterations. Mesothelioma is a notoriously difficult cancer to diagnose and treat and to date, there is limited information on the mechanism that causes mesothelioma to develop.

This technology will allow ADRI scientists to decode the causative and developmental genetics of mesothelioma and provide vital information for biomarker development. This can then potentially be translated into clinical settings to improve diagnosis.

An NGS costs upward of $350,000 so all our efforts are going toward securing this vital technology. Can you help us bring this platform into our laboratory?

Hear more from our Principal Scientist, Dr Yuen Yee Cheng, in the video below…