Delta Goodrem launches the Delta Goodrem Foundation and announces support of cellular therapy research at St Vincent’s
Superstar singer, songwriter and The Voice coach Delta Goodrem launches her own Foundation and will make and make her first grant in support of cancer research close to her own heart.
The Delta Goodrem Foundation Fellowship in Cellular Therapy at St Vincent’s will enable an emerging clinician researcher to investigate the role of cellular therapy in treating blood cancers as well as ground-breaking research into “adoptive immunotherapy” with chimaeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells.
“I am proud to be able to support St Vincent’s and their dedication to improving the lives of cancer patients. My goal as a cancer survivor is to give people battling cancer hope. I want to secure a brighter future for people with cancer and my support for St Vincent’s is part of this effort,” said Delta.
Delta’s personal journey with St Vincent’s and her successful treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma is known to many people. The Foundation was honoured when Delta confirmed that the first project to be supported by the Delta Goodrem Foundation would be the research fellowship to investigate the role that cellular therapy can play in treating blood cancers.
St Vincent’s performed the first bone marrow transplant in Australia 40 years ago and is now acknowledged as a national and international leader in advancing cellular therapy and research. The new Delta Goodrem Foundation Fellowship in Cellular Therapy will provide a further avenue for translational research, taking scientific discoveries from the laboratory and using it to develop improved outcomes for patients.
Delta is well known and loved by Hospital clinicians and patients alike and has donated countless hours of her time towards fundraising for the Hospital, on top of her roles as Patron of the Kinghorn Cancer Centre and Ambassador of the Hospital’s Haematology Ward.
What is Cellular Therapy?
Cellular Therapy (or cell therapy) is the use of the patient’s own cells as treatment for a range of conditions and diseases. It is a field of medicine that holds great promise for how patients will be treated in the future.
St Vincent’s Hospital is developing a national Centre of Excellence in Cellular Therapy for malignant and autoimmune disease. The St Vincent’s Centre of Excellence in Cellular Therapy will focus primarily on Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT), which involves infusing a patient with blood stem cells in order to treat blood cancers and some severe chronic immune conditions such as MS. These stem cells can re-establish damaged bone marrow and/or immune function.
While HSCT is already an established treatment procedure for patients with haematological cancer (in the form of Bone Marrow Transplant), one of the goals of the Centre of Excellence in Cellular Therapy is to reduce the toxicity of the chemotherapy regimens in current standard treatments. For patients with severe chronic autoimmune conditions such as severe Scleroderma and Multiple Sclerosis, HSCT using the patient’s own blood stem cells offers a promising new treatment option by using a patient’s reinfused cells to rebuild their previously auto-reactive immune system.
I am a patient, where do I go to find out more?
A diagnosis of cancer or an autoimmune disease such as MS is fraught with much uncertainty and fear. Research such as Cellular Therapies offers great hope. We encourage any patient to first speak to your GP and/or specialist about your concerns and the treatments and trials that may be right for you.
For general information on haematological cancers and current treatments, the following website has good evidence-backed information: https://www.leukaemia.org.au/
For general information about MS and HSCT, please refer to: https://msra.org.au/ahsct/
You can donate to support St Vincent’s and, like Delta, help to advance cellular therapy.