veski supports first Australian p53 Workshop

Invited speakers, Giovanni Blandino (Italy) and Moshe Oren (Israel), with Ygal Haupt

More than 130 eminent international and national clinicians, researchers, and students, and representatives from industry, attended the first Australian p53 workshop from 19 to 21 of November.

veski innovation fellow Associate Professor Ygal Haupt hosted the successful event in Melbourne with the support of his host organisation, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and a veski award in science.

The idea for the event was seeded following Ygal’s return to Melbourne in 2008, when he recognised the growing interest in the major tumour suppressor protein ‘p53’ within the Australian cancer research and clinical communities. 

His intimate association with the international p53 field helped Ygal recognise that the valuable contributions of Australian research in this area were severely under-appreciated.  This understanding led to the establishment of a p53 community within Australia and the first Australian p53 workshop. 

According to Ygal the aims were well and truly achieved with the event producing a strong p53 community in Australia and delivering a number of new collaborations.

“The networking, the collaboration and the information sharing were all excellent with at least three collaborations forming as a result of the workshop,” Ygal said.

“The event also showcased the spirit of the p53 international community, which is one of the oldest and most established in cancer research,” he said

It was in this spirit that Victoria welcomed 11 leading p53 researchers from overseas including Sir David Lane (one of the original discoverers of the tumour suppressor protein p53). Other key contributors included Professors Moshe Oren, Gigi Lozano, Laura Attardi, Gerry Melino, Andrei Gudkov and Giovanni Blandino. 

The topics covered a diverse breadth from basic research to clinical trials and were superbly presented from exceptionally talented researchers and clinicians, including many Australians. 

The event co-chair was Professor Andreas Strasser and the organising committee comprised of Dr Sue Haupt, Dr Paul Neilsen and Professor Antony Braithwaite. They have been asked to submit a meeting report to a prestigious international journal.

The veski award in science allowed additional international speakers to attend.