Inaugural University of Sydney public lecture on cancer

On Thursday 9 July 2009, the University of Sydney Cancer Research Network will be launching their Public Lecture Series on Cancer.

The Series is an important opportunity for members of the public and cancer researchers to come together and learn about and discuss current findings in cancer research.

The inaugural lecture titled ‘Cancer: Hitting the Target’, will be presented by Professor Rick Kefford.

Professor Kefford said, “In the past five years there has been massive progress in drug treatment for patients with most forms of cancer, paralleled by dramatic reductions in cancer mortality.”

“Unlike traditional chemotherapy, new “smart” drugs target specific abnormalities in the software of cancer cells. These molecular targets are collectively cancer’s “Achilles’ heel”. They offer great hope for controlling a disease that is notorious for its ability to evade the normally robust biochemical mechanisms for ridding the body of faulty cells.”

Professor Kefford’s public lecture will further explore the latest developments in cancer treatment.

Biography
Professor Kefford is Chair of Medicine at the University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital; Director of the Westmead Institute for Cancer Research; and Chair of the Division of Medicine at Westmead Hospital. He founded the Department of Medical Oncology at Westmead Hospital (1986), the Familial Cancer Service at Westmead (1992) and the Westmead Institute for Cancer Research (1996). Professor Kefford has been Principal or Chief Investigator on over 30 clinical trials in melanoma, and author of over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Event details
Cancer: Hitting the Target
Thursday 9 July 2009
5.30pm lecture starts
6.30pm drinks & canapés

Venue: Eastern Avenue Auditorium, The University of Sydney
Cost: Free

Click here to visit the Cancer Research Network's events page.

The lecture is kindly supported by the Cancer Council NSW.