A Moonshot Approach to Cancer: what will it take to find the cures?

A Moonshot Approach to Cancer

Professor Miles Prince

Director, Centre for Blood Cell Therapies, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Director of Molecular Oncology & Cancer Immunology, Epworth Healthcare

In 1962, US President John F Kennedy made a remarkable speech outlining America’s strategy to land on the moon. The ‘stars aligned’ over the next few years and the 1969 success of the Moonshot strategy relied on money, new innovations, the power of computers, determination and competition. The drive to ‘dominate Space’ focused much energy.

  • In the 1970s, Nixon’s attempt to ‘cure cancer’ failed. Why?
  • Today, many say we may have what it takes to attack cancers we otherwise thought incurable. Is this true? What makes our time so different to the generation before?
  • A Moonshot approach to cancer has been initiated by the Obama Administration and has been embraced by many. Will the momentum continue?

Join Professor Miles Prince, who will demonstrate how we are about to be catapulted into advances in our understanding and management of cancer that we never thought possible.

About the speaker:

Professor Miles H Prince AM is a specialist haematologist who manages all types of blood-related conditions which include anaemia, bleeding and blood clotting disorders, as well as cancers of the blood. He is a full professor at both The University of Melbourne and Monash University.

Professor Prince is involved in major research programs involving stem cell research and the mechanism of the immune systems control of blood and cancer growth. He is also involved in many clinical trials related to this research. He holds major Australian, American and European research grants and has published over 300 journal articles. Professor Prince is a member of Australian, American and European Societies of Haematology and Oncology, and is on the boards of International Society of cutaneous lymphoma, International Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia Foundation and chairman of the Medical Scientific Advisory Group of Myeloma Australia.

Professor Prince is the Director of the Centre for Blood Cell Therapies at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and has recently been appointed Director of Molecular Oncology and Cancer Immunology at the Epworth Hospital.