Cancer treatment on the Sunshine Coast is set to take a major step forward with the arrival of a cutting-edge machine.
Wishlist and the Sunshine Coast Health Institute (SCHI) have unveiled the Chromium IX Single-Cell Analysis System.
Earlier this month, clinicians and researchers had their first training session with the equipment, which was purchased with proceeds from last year’s Wishlist Spring Carnival.
The powerful tool can identify unique cells, aiding in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer and autoimmune disorders.
The instrument is a significant advancement for the region, promising tailored therapies and cutting-edge research.
SCHI’s Barry Pritchard said the world-class technology allowed researchers to unlock personalised treatments and improved outcomes for patients.
“If you think of your body like a giant city made up of trillions and trillions of tiny little cells that make up a building, most machines we have currently in the lab can only look at the buildings from a distant perspective,” he said.
“The Chromium IX allows researchers to zoom in to each building and see what each component is doing on an individual basis.
“It does this by separating 1000s and 1000s of cells by putting each one into its own very, very tiny droplet of a lipid or an oil with special tagging technology.
“It helps researchers answer some really big questions: it can identify which immune cells are attacking cancer, what genes are turned on in damaged organs, and how brain cells change in diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
“It can help pinpoint what exact cells are driving what diseases. You can’t just say you’ve got cancer – they’re all very different – so this gives us insight into treating it at that cellular level: this supports the tailored treatment of patients.”
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Wishlist CEO Brendan Hogan said the Chromium IX delivered on the charity’s aim to support health care close to home.
“Once again, Wishlist and the community working side-by-side has provided equipment that will help our local hospital staff deliver even better care for patients, close to home.”
Specialised nerve hyperexcitability testing equipment, to help treat motor neurone disease patients, was also purchased with the proceeds of the Wishlist event.
