FACTSHEET:

Australian Cancer Research Foundation Telomere Analysis Centre

What is the Australian Cancer Research Foundation Telomere Analysis Centre (ATAC)?
Childrens Medical Research Institute, through a $2 million grant from the Australian Cancer Research
Foundation (ACRF), will open the Australian Cancer Research Foundation Telomere Analysis Centre (ATAC) in
2015. The centre was also supported by a $100,000 grant from the Ian Potter Foundation. The Centre will be
located at the Institute in Westmead.
ATAC is the brainchild of a unique group of telomere researchers from a broad range of scientific and
medical backgrounds and skill sets including clinical haematology, medical oncology and laboratory-based
research. This large consortium of telomere researchers will utilise cutting-edge equipment and specialised
research techniques in this internationally unique Centre for collaborative telomere research.
The equipment will consist of state-of-the-art microscopes and analysis stations that will allow researchers
to adopt the latest research methods including:

Tracking DNA movements in living cells over time

Examining and measuring telomere DNA structures in minute detail
Examining thousands of cells at a time using automated scanning

The laboratories were custom designed to accommodate ATAC microscopes and related equipment.
What is the aim of ATAC?
ATAC will focus on four key components of telomere-related research, including:
1. Telomere Length Analysis. ATAC will support collaborative epidemiological and clinical studies
throughout Australia, in which telomere length is used as a biomarker.
2. Automated Metaphase Chromosome Scanning. CMRI has pioneered the use of automated scanning for
metaphase cells in telomere research, and the ATAC equipment will increase capacity and add the latest
technology in this area.
3. High-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy. The length of individual telomeres, telomere structure, and
telomere-interacting proteins are all critically important for telomere function and research. The microscope
technology that will be available at ATAC will greatly enhance the researchers' ability to study these
characteristics of telomeres.
4. Live Cell Imaging. Telomere structure and function changes dynamically during the cell cycle. Technology
at ATAC will put our research groups at the forefront of this field by providing researchers with the ability to
study telomere dynamics in live cells, which will speed up progress in this area of research.

What is a telomere and why is it so crucial to cancer research?

Telomeres are structures at the ends of chromosomes that are involved in both cancer and the aging
process. Telomeres are essentially protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, like the plastic bit at the end
of a shoelace, which protect DNA. Normally, telomeres are gradually lost until they become too short and
the cells stop dividing, which contributes to ageing; however, cancer cells counteract the loss of telomeres
and are therefore able to continue dividing.
Telomere-related research is a vital part of cancer research because it could potentially lead to uncovering a
way to halt the progression of the disease, new treatments or innovative ways to diagnose cancers.
Telomere-related research could potentially save lives.
What has Australia already achieved in telomere-related research?
Australia is recognised internationally for the calibre of research taking place here, including in the realm of
cancer research. CMRI has one of the largest concentrations of telomere researchers in a non-commercial
organisation anywhere in the world. Achievements of its researchers include:

Discovery of the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanism in cancers, which may
potentially contribute to the development of new treatments for about 10% of all cancers, and
Key discoveries about telomerase (an enzyme that contributes to the lengthening of the telomeres),
on which 85% of all cancers depend for their continuing growth.

More information on the organisations involved

Childrens Medical Research Institute:
Childrens Medical Research institute conducts fundamental research to understand the genes involved in
human health and development, and the underlying causes of disease. CMRI is at the forefront of
international research in the areas of embryonic development and birth defects, cancer, nerve cell signalling,
and gene therapy. Find out more at www.cmri.org.au. This not-for-profit institute is funded by competitive
grants, a community of supporters, and Jeans for Genes Day held on the first Friday in August for which
you can volunteer. Visit www.jeansforgenes.org.au.
Australian Cancer Research Foundation:
ACRF is a private foundation, dedicated to beating cancer by funding world-class research in Australia. They
award up to $10 million in research grants every year, providing Australia's best cancer scientists with the
technologies and infrastructure they need to speed up discoveries and stay at the forefront of medical
research. For more information, please visit www.acrf.com.au and www.home.cancerresearch.
The Childrens Hospital at Westmead:
The Childrens Hospital at Westmead is the highly respected, largest paediatric centre in NSW, providing
excellent care for children from NSW, Australia and across the Pacific Rim. It forms part of the Sydney
Childrens Hospitals Network. Funded by the NSW Government, The Childrens Hospital at Westmead
provides significant extra services aided by the generosity of individual and corporate donors. For more
information visit www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au

Childrens Cancer Institute:

Childrens Cancer Institute is the only independent medical research institute in Australia dedicated 100% to
childhood cancer research, existing solely to cure childhood cancer and improve the quality of life for
survivors. CCI focuses on translational research, working closely with clinicians at Sydney Childrens Hospital,
Randwick and in paediatric hospitals throughout Australia to ensure discoveries are progressed into clinical
trials and actual treatments for kids with cancer as quickly as possible. For more information, visit
www.childrenscancerinstitute.org.au.

Kids Cancer alliance:

The Kids Cancer Alliance (KCA) brings together leading doctors and scientists working in child cancer
medicine and research across NSW, to improve the care of children with cancer. KCA is the ultimate example
of bench-to-bedside medicine, taking new discoveries from their development in the laboratory, all the way
though to their translation in the clinic. For more information about KCA, see www.kidscanceralliance.org.au