Dendritic Cell Biology &
Therapeutics Group
The Annual DC Down Under Symposium 2012
Date:
Thursday 2nd – Friday 3rd August 2012
Time:
Thursday: 2pm – 5.30pm
Friday: 8am – 5.30pm
Venue:
Concord Hospital Conference Room 2
Registration:
Free Registration
(Welcome Breakfast, Lunch, Morning & Afternoon Teas)
Each year approximately 108,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in Australia. Many treatments
have been developed that aim to achieve a cure or delay the onset of the diseases. Many of these
have debilitating side effects or only work in a small subset of cancer patients. Human immune
modulation research is a new field whereby normal, natural, immune responses to cancer are
triggered via new therapeutics. This field is rapidly emerging and has recently enjoyed regulatory
approvals for the first medicines of this kind.
The Dendritic Cell Biology and Therapeutics Group (DCBTG), at the ANZAC Research Institute
Concord is a specialist R&D facility in the field of immune modulation research, rich in experience and
widely published. Principals Professor Derek Hart and Assoc Prof Georgina Clark and their team are
internationally recognized as experts in the field. Their research focus is on dendritic cells (DC) which
represent unique subset of white blood cells found throughout the body, which are responsible for
initiating and directing immune responses.
Using basic and translational research and a partnership approach, our mission is to translate new
dendritic cell science and its wide spread application into patient outcomes. Specifically we aim to
translate scientific discoveries around DC surface molecules into diagnostics and therapeutic
outcomes. The ability to modulate the immune system, to simulate it for therapeutic cancer
vaccination, to suppress it to control inflammation or to improve transplant results is becoming a
reality.
The international speakers presenting at DC Down Under 2012 are Distinguished Professor Angus
Thomson, Surgery and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh and Professor Elizabeth Jaffee,
Oncology, Kimmel Cancer Centre at John Hopkins, Maryland. Hence, this symposium will focus on
the applications of Dendritic Cells in transplantation and immunotherapy.
For more information, or for the registration form, please contact Amanda Afyouni
on +61 2 9767 9871 or email dcadmin@anzac.edu.au.