The Centenary Institute is an independent institute undertaking medical research and is located on the premises of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital which is adjacent to Sydney University. The formal affiliations with the Local Health District and the Sydney University promote chances opportunities for many students to get involved in medical research including the conversion of basic medical discoveries into actual clinical practices.
The Institute's unique mix of highly accomplished staff as well as state of the art facilities and equipment has permitted the Foundation to become global leaders in the some of the following medical research critical areas:
- Major hormonal cancers such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer
- Gastrointestinal pr liver cancer
- Respiratory or lung cancer
- Skin cancer also known as melanoma
- Various blood cancers such as leukaemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma
- Cancer that are drug resistant
- Tuberculosis
- Gene therapy
- Sudden cardiac death
- Inflammatory bowel ailments
- Liver diseases and liver transplants
Centenary Institute History
The Centenary Institute was born in the year 1982 in commemoration of the Centenaries of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and University of Sydney Medical School. Then, the notion of a medical research centre of excellence was endorsed warmly, not only by the hospital and the university, but also by then Australian Federal Liberal Government and the Labour New South Wales State Government, both which together supported and funded a viability study for building of the research building.
In acknowledgment of the necessity of a single major centre that specializes in every aspects of cell biology and cancer research, the new organisation acquired its unique name, the Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology. In 1985, it got incorporated by an NSW Act of Parliament and in 1989 it became a fully functioning entity. It was based Professor Antony Basten, the founding Director's federal centre of excellence.
In 1994, four and a half floors out of the 6 storey of the Centenary building six-storey building were finished and outfitted at a cost of $17.24 million. This funding was largely received from NSW State and Australian capital works grants, with further aid coming from the Central Sydney Area Health Service, the NSW State Cancer Council, and the University of Sydney.
The Honourable John Howard, the Prime Minister officially opened the building in 1997. The other one and half floors were fitted out and completed in the year 2001 with the support of a $4m Australian Government capital works grant.
Professor Basten resigned in 2005 and following an international head search, Professor Mathew Vadas got appointed in the year 2007. Between the years 2006 and 2012 the Institute grew from just 113 to 220 members of staff.
Community Outcomes
ver its illustrious history, Centenary Institute has attained the following results in public health and medicine:
- Discovered innovative approaches towards the treatment of breast cancer causing increases in the rates of survival.
- Deterrence of cases of sudden cardiac death via early diagnosis and timely treatment.
- High rates of success in liver transplants.
- Enhanced prognosis for patients having Hepatitis C and liver cancer.
- Advancements in the management of haemophilia.
- Developing fresh methods of detecting an individual's propensity of developing inflammatory bowel disease and asthma.
- Investigating enhancing to existing cancer treatments which will triumph over cancer drug resistance and then promote the development of treatments that are highly personalized to give patients an improved survival chance.
- In the course of developing vaccines that aim at the prevention of tuberculosis. Currently with 1 out of 3 people globally infected, tuberculosis leads to 2 million deaths yearly.
- Discovering fresh therapies towards the prevention of diabetic complications associated with the body vascular system.
Centenary Institute Mission Statement
Vision: to progress human health via medical research excellence.
Mission: to discover and then bring into usage innovative therapeutics and diagnostics.
Focus: infectious diseases, cardiovascular, and cancer.
Approach: understanding cells and molecules and applying the same to diseases.
Centenary Institute Research
The Centenary Institute is certainly a leading Australian medical and health research facility. It houses world-class level of facilities and continues to expand. The research gives attention to a diverse variety of health matters that face the community such as:
- Cancer
- Infectious diseases
- Cardiovascular disease
- Genetic disease
- Immunity
- Liver disease
How Can You Help?
You could play a direct role towards protecting the future generations and in giving them the opportunity of leading longer and healthier lives.
The Centenary Institute is working daily towards better understanding of the causes of various disease and finding methods of translating those discoveries into healthcare tools for professionals like better diagnostic tests, new vaccines, and innovative methods of treatment.
The Institute's dedicated research teams work in the disease areas that have a very devastating impact on families, individuals, and the entire community.
Centenary Institute needs your assistance towards enabling the researchers to continue working on their ground-breaking medical discoveries in critical heath areas. Your support contributes to strengthening their capacity in discovering the next breakthrough in medical research.
There are lots of ways you could join the Centenary Institute's research teams on their worthy journey towards future that is healthier.
- Donating
- Holding a Fundraiser
- Corporate Partnerships
- Memorial Giving - Making a gift in honour of a loved one
- Regularly Giving for Medical Research
- Remembering them in your will
- Joining the Research Society
- Volunteering
The Centenary Institute Future
Over the previous decade, the Institute's staff has grown from just 20 to the current 95; research group heads have held 2 NHMRC program grants; and the Centenary Institute, by merit of its very independent status, has been able to bring in excess of $30 million to the campus in the form of infrastructure funds and capital works, in addition to in excess of $20 million in the form of peer-reviewed grants.
Having recently commissioned a brand new building and engaged high-quality staff, the Centenary Institute is now set to conclude its final stage of the ten-year strategic plan being currently implemented. The aim is the creation of a 2nd critical mass of top class career researchers in cellular and molecular oncology.
The blend of brand of molecular biology and cellular immunology is targeted at cancer and is designed towards giving the Institute a distinct niche in the new postgenomic era.
