AACR honour for Aussie cancer scientist
Professor Jane Visvader, from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, has been included in the prestigious 2022 class of Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy.
The honour, announced during the opening ceremony of the ACCR Annual Meeting, recognises her important contribution to breast cancer research.
“For eminent contributions to the fields of breast cancer research and breast cancer stem cell biology, including the seminal discovery of breast stem cells that give rise to normal breast tissue and the identification of specific breast cell populations that exhibit a predisposition to cancer in women harboring BRCA1 gene mutations,” the award said.
Professor Visvander is joint head of the ACRF Cancer Biology and Stem Cells Division at WEHI.
She has received numerous scientific awards including the Royal Society of Victoria Medal for Scientific Excellence (2014), Lemberg Medal (2016), NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Biomedical Award (2016), Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation (2017, joint award), and the Brinker Award for Scientific Excellence (2019, joint award). She was elected to the Australian Academy of Sciences in 2012 and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2020.
Fifth dose of COVID-19 vax recommended for cancer patients
A fifth dose winter booster of COVID-19 vaccine is now recommended for severely immunocompromised people, including people with cancer.
The latest advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) is that people who are at high risk of COVID-19 should receive an additional booster dose known as the “winter booster dose” four months after the 1st booster dose.
The advice applies to people aged 16 years or older who are severely immunocompromised, such as people with cancer receiving chemotherapy, and also to adults aged 65 years or older, residents of aged care or disability care facilities; and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years or older.
This means that three primary doses are now recommended for people aged five years or older, and two booster doses (five doses total) are recommended for those aged 16 years or older.
“These recommendations for an additional booster dose focus on protecting vulnerable cancer patients among others, against severe disease and reducing the potential burden on the healthcare system over the coming months,” said Professor Dorothy Keefe, CEO Cancer Australia.