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From the Director

30 April 2015

There have been many exciting developments since the journal Science announced in 2013 Immunotherapy of Cancer as breakthrough of the year. 

A new generation of cancer drugs called the ‘checkpoint inhibitors’, which effectively take the brakes off the immune system, have gained approval.  While they are very expensive, they have opened new doors, but because cancer can be so adaptable no one drug and no one immunotherapy approach will beat this elusive family of over 200 diseases and we need further research.

The Malaghan Institute’s research programmes are nimble; we take advantage of international breakthroughs and incorporate their knowledge, but we have also had a few unique twists of our own.

In Scope newsletter 56 I would like to share updates from Professor Mike Berridge’s recent breakthrough in cancer cell biology, to our current vaccine research, right through to how we are anticipating which future clinical trials will deliver the best results for New Zealanders facing a cancer diagnosis.

The Malaghan Institute is capable of producing the same breakthroughs as our peers internationally.   We can, and will deliver treatments based on our research with your continuing support, for which we are always grateful.