Garvan Institute

📖 The December issue of Breakthrough Magazine is now live on our website. In this edition, discover the AI tool revolutionising our understanding of cancer cell behaviour, explore how immunity is being engineered to fight disease and more.
Click here: ow.ly/6fsG50XB2w5

A Garvan-led trial showed metformin doesn’t lower insulin resistance in type 1 diabetes but does reduce insulin needs.

Here, Dr Jennifer Snaith explains what insulin resistance is and why managing blood glucose levels matters.

Read more: ow.ly/mJxV50Xyuq5

Learn more: ow.ly/qNii50Xxe24

A Garvan-led trial reveals that metformin – an affordable type 2 diabetes drug – can reduce insulin needs in type 1 diabetes. While it doesn’t counteract insulin resistance, it helps maintain ideal blood sugars with less insulin. This could improve how doctors manage the condition.

Prof Marina Pajic will break down tumours’ protective barriers using integrin inhibitors to help chemotherapy work better. Dr Orion Tong will develop blood tests that detect multiple DNA signatures to catch pancreatic cancer early. Read more: ow.ly/iA0b50Xuutu
#PancreaticCancer

This #WorldPancreaticCancerDay, PanKind is funding two new projects at Garvan. These projects address why pancreatic cancer is so deadly: its ability to resist treatment and hide until it’s too late.

Bev has lived most of her life in a body she doesn’t fully understand. After decades of unexplained symptoms, she is still searching for answers.

To read Bev’s story, click here: www.garvan.org.au/impact/stori...

Huge congratulations to the following Garvan researchers who have received funding through the 2026 St Vincent’s Clinic Research Foundation Grants. Dr Seyhan Yazar, A/Prof David Croucher, Dr Zoe Phan and Dr Ashraf Zaman. Your research is having a transformative impact on health.

🔬 New insights into breast cancer treatment resistance. Garvan researchers have uncovered how a broken JNK pathway allows some ER+ breast cancers to resist standard therapies.

👉 Find out more: ow.ly/NKk650Xaj9h

#BreastCancerResearch #CancerBreakthrough #PersonalisedMedicine

Unmatched Cell Line Collections Are Not Optimal for Identification of PARP Inhibitor Response and Drug Synergies - PubMed PARP inhibitors show great efficacy in BRCA1/2-mutated patients, but many preclinical studies, including combination therapies, fail to translate clinically, likely due to the limitations of preclinic...

Read the full study: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40977519/
#CancerResearch #BRCA #PrecisionMedicine

When lab results align with patient outcomes, drug development becomes more efficient and promising treatments reach patients faster.

Why does this matter? It helps researchers worldwide choose more reliable testing methods when developing new therapies.

We found that genetically matched cells (where scientists control specific gene changes) accurately predict patient responses, while standard cancer cell collections often show different patterns.

📊 How do we know if a cancer drug will work? It starts with choosing the right lab test. Newly published Garvan research compared different lab testing methods for PARP inhibitors – important drugs for people with cancers caused by BRCA mutations

Do older people want to know their genetic disease risk? 🧬

Garvan researchers found participants aged 70+ valued this information – mainly for the benefit of their children & grandchildren.

Read more: ow.ly/9zBc50X44wC

But what is the AllClear program about, and what will it achieve?

To read more about this research, click here: ow.ly/MA8q50WZ834

Last month we announced that Garvan was awarded the inaugural Collaborative Research Accelerator (CRA) grant from the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) for its AllClear program, led by Garvan’s Associate Professor Christine Chaffer and Professor Peter Croucher.

🧬 A recent Garvan-led study (GENIE) is recruiting Australian children and adults to help improve the early detection of genetic conditions that affect the immune system.

Read more about the study here: ow.ly/f7Gp50WVy6x

Congratulations to Dr Hasindu Gamaarachchi, awarded the 2025 #EurekaPrizes for Outstanding Early Career Researcher! He is developing computational methods to dramatically cut time and power needed to analyse genomic sequencing data, with huge ramifications for medical research.

ow.ly/Uc9c50WQTro

When Michael first started experiencing pain in his lower back, he put it down to a cricket injury.

At 48, he was active and healthy, with no reason to suspect something worse. Then a scan revealed the unthinkable.

Read Michael's story here: ow.ly/qOsI50WrAyE

Did you know? Garvan and Yale University researchers paired up to develop a new AI tool that could be integrated into cancer diagnostics to better inform treatment.

Find out more: ow.ly/jzU550WlpRT

This is the first time researchers have dissected tumour cell diversity with such precision and could transform how cancer is treated.

ow.ly/2pz650WgvKP

AAnet, led by A/Prof Christine Chaffer, Prof Sarah Kummerfeld & A/Prof Smita Krishnaswamy, maps tumour cells into 5 distinct groups, each with vastly different biology.

Tumours aren’t just one type of cell — they’re a mix, each responding to treatment differently. But today, most cancer therapies treat them all the same.

Garvan Institute & Yale researchers have created AAnet, a powerful AI tool that studies individual cells within cancer tumours, opening the door to more targeted therapies.
#AI #CancerResearch

Today our lab head Prof Marina Pajic, along with Prof Anthony Joshua and PurpleOurWorld’s Daniel Goulburn OAM delivered an inspiring public seminar today at @garvaninstitute.bsky.social on how we are working to improve outcomes for patients with #PancreaticCancer.

Hear from one of our wonderful volunteers and supporters, Annie, who has committed to decades of giving back.

Read her story here: ow.ly/mvXO50WetTF

Congratulations to Garvan researcher Shanon Ranjit, who last week won the Early-Stage Innovation Forum pitch as part of the AusMedtech conference. Shanon is part of the team leading Garvan's Genomics Platform.

Find out more: ow.ly/2FXJ50W3P5n

Huge congrats to Prof Daniel MacArthur on receiving the prestigious ESHG award for his outstanding work in human genetics.

He leads the Centre for Population Genomics, a joint initiative of Garvan & @MCRI_for_kids

#ESHG2025

Read more: ow.ly/p8vi50W3Oee