$17M to advance new dendritic cell-based treatment
28 November 2025
A plan to supercharge immune cell ‘spies’ to make them better able to seek out and kill cancer cells has received a $17 million funding boost from the Australian Government.
This project, involving Peter Mac’s Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy, is focused on dendritic cells which play a pivotal role in intelligence-gathering for our immune system.
The aim is to equip these cells with enhanced cancer fighting technology, in the hope of revolutionising treatment for solid tumour cancers including bowel cancer.
This WEHI-led project is collaboration also drawing on the expertise of researchers and clinicians at Mater Research, The University of Queensland and Monash University.
The funding from the Medical Research Future Fund’s Frontier Health and Medical Research initiative.
Peter Mac’s Professor Simon Harrison says the aim is to advance a dendritic cell-based therapy to a clinical trial within five years. This would be an entirely new class of cancer treatment.
“This project will leverage Peter Mac’s expertise in the onsite manufacture, first-in-human clinical trials and routine administration of breakthrough cellular therapies, such as CAR T-cell and dendritic cells, for Australian patients,” says Prof Harrison, who is Director of the Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy.
“We are excited to team up with WEHI to advance dendritic cells as a novel therapy we hope can do for solid tumours, like bowel cancer, what CAR T-cell therapies have achieved in blood cancers.”
Despite advances in conventional treatments like surgery and chemotherapy, bowel cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer death in Australia, and the leading cause among those aged 25-54.
The risk of being diagnosed with bowel cancer before the age of 40 has more than doubled since the year 2000. Treatment options are limited.
While modern immunotherapies that harness the power of the body’s defences to attack cancer cells have become standard treatment for some types of cancer, their efficacy is limited against solid tumours, like those in the bowel.
Dendritic cells have shown great promise as a cancer-fighting tool, in particular a subset of these called DC1s, which are specialised at generating a strong anti-tumour response.
Chief investigator and WEHI laboratory head Professor Shalin Naik said there is growing confidence that DC1s could be the missing link in the arsenal of immunotherapies to target solid tumours.
“Dendritic cells are the ‘James Bond’ of our immune system, gathering intelligence and alerting the immune system’s attack forces to what a virus, bacterium or cancer looks like, so they know what they’re looking for when fighting disease,” said Prof Naik.
“Our project aims to upgrade DC1s, a specific type of dendritic cell, so that they are better able to recognise and launch an attack on cancer cells.”
WEHI researchers have made significant contributions to understanding dendritic cells since 1992.
More recently, Prof Naik’s team discovered a novel way to generate many more DC1s from patient stem cells than previously possible, a crucial finding that has unlocked the potential for these cells to be harnessed to treat cancer.
Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler said the project was another example of world-class Australian science leading the way.
“We’re backing our researchers to turn cutting-edge discoveries into treatments that could save lives,” he said.
“Investing in homegrown research like this means Australians will benefit from treatments developed by our own scientists, using the latest in immunotherapy and cell technology.
“Too many families know the pain of bowel cancer. This project gives real hope for new therapies that could change the story for thousands of Australians.”
Lead chief investigator and WEHI laboratory head Professor Stephen Nutt said that infusing DC1s with CARs would effectively upgrade their arsenal and spyware.
“We think these supercharged cells have the potential to revolutionise treatment for bowel cancer and other solid tumours, which are in critical need of next-generation therapies,” said Prof Nutt.
“This funding is a game-changer, allowing our team to develop this new therapy and bring it all the way to testing in patients.
“It’s our strong hope that this research project delivers a new class of cell-based cancer therapy, that leverages our immune system in new ways to improve survival, and quality of life, for patients.”
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Contacts:
For more information contact the Peter Mac Communications team on 0417 123 048 or the WEHI Communications team on 0475 751 811.
About Peter Mac
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre is a world leading cancer research, education and treatment centre and Australia’s only public health service dedicated to caring for people affected by cancer.
About WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
WEHI is where brilliant minds collaborate and innovate to make life-changing scientific discoveries that help people live healthier for longer. Our medical researchers have been serving the community for more than 100 years, making transformative discoveries in cancer, infection and immunity, and lifelong health. WEHI brings together diverse and creative people with different experience and expertise to solve some of the world’s most complex health problems. With partners across science, health, government, industry, and philanthropy, we are committed to long-term discovery, collaboration, and translation. At WEHI, we are brighter together.