The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases

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The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD) are world leaders in mesothelioma research.

The National Centre of Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD) is based at the University of Western Australia and the Institute for Respiratory Health. It conducts world-leading research into mesothelioma and other diseases caused by asbestos. The Centre facilitates the cooperation and collaboration of groups that have received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for NCARD badged projects. It aims to grow by attracting other scientists or clinicians to join with the Centre to collaborate and share information and resources, both within Australia and overseas. The researchers coordinated by NCARD are working to combat the cancer on several fronts, chasing earlier and more accurate diagnosis, better treatments and ultimately a vaccine against the disease.

23/10/2026

Five NCARD researchers presented at the Perth Immunology Group meeting this week. Thank you to Claudia Peh, Jared Moulsdale, Mackenzie Lighton, Francois Rwandamuriye and Faith Hartley for sharing their research with the Perth immunology community and representing NCARD so well.

Congratulations to Mackenzie, who won a People’s Choice Prize as a student speaker.

Thank you also to Jess Boulter and Tracy Hoang, members of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology - ASI committee who helped plan the meeting, and to the ASI WA Branch organisers for hosting a welcoming forum for researchers at every career stage.

Institute for Respiratory Health

26/09/2026

Today, 26 September, is Mesothelioma Awareness Day.

To mark the day, we've released the first 2026 newsletter for the Asbestos Review Program (ARP), NCARD's long running health surveillance program for people with significant asbestos exposure.

This issue looks at how ultra-low-dose CT scanning works, shares the latest ARP numbers and covers new funding supporting the program's research.

Since 1990, more than 5,200 people have taken part in the ARP, helping researchers better understand asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

Read the full newsletter: https://ncard.org.au/asbestos-review-program-newsletter-issue-1-2026/

Institute for Respiratory Health

23/09/2026

NCARD's 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting brought together researchers, students and collaborators from Western Australia and interstate for two days of scientific discussion.

A highlight of Professor Jenette Creaney's welcome address was the announcement that Perth will host the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (iMig) conference in 2027, giving NCARD's students and early career researchers valuable international exposure.

Presentations across the two days covered NCARD's broad research program, from personalised neoantigen cancer vaccines and whole-tumour molecular imaging to genomics and biomarker discovery, including new work extending the centre's vaccine platform into childhood cancers through the Kids-ATTAC program.

Congratulations to Callum Flanagan, who won the Student Presentation Prize for his talk on how BAP1 mutations may help explain why some mesothelioma tumours are less likely to spread.

Institute for Respiratory Health

Read the full recap here: https://ncard.org.au/ncard-2026-annual-scientific-meeting/

18/09/2026

More than 4,000 Australians die from an asbestos-related disease every year, over triple the national road toll. That's the reality NCARD's 2026 Public Lecture set out to address, bringing together three experts to explore asbestos risk, research and the future of care.

Dr Rick van der Zwan (Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency) outlined the national scale of asbestos exposure, Dr Zeyad Al-Ogaili shared how molecular imaging is changing mesothelioma care, and Dr Alistair Cook gave an overview of NCARD's current research program.

The evening also included a poster showcase from NCARD's students and researchers, with Mackenzie Lighton receiving the People's Choice Poster Prize for her work on low-dose radiotherapy and tumour macrophages.

Read the full recap, including the link to watch the lecture recording, here: https://ncard.org.au/asbestos-in-australia-today-risk-research-and-future-of-care/

Institute for Respiratory Health

17/09/2026

Congratulations to Claudia Peh, a PhD student at NCARD, who has received funding through the 2026 Tim Willoughby Research Grant.

Claudia's project looks at how trace metals such as copper, iron, zinc and calcium behave in the blood of people with mesothelioma treated with chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy. Understanding these changes could help explain why some respond better to treatment than others.

The grant will also support Claudia to travel to Sydney and Singapore, where she will present her findings and build connections with researchers working on copper-targeted cancer therapies.

The Tim Willoughby Research Grant honours the memory of Tim Willoughby.

Read more about the grant and its story: https://ncard.org.au/a-legacy-in-honour-of-tim-willoughby/

UWA Research Institute for Respiratory Health

15/09/2026

📍 Seoul, Republic of Korea — NCARD's Prof Jenette Creaney is at the IASLC 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer this week, representing WA lung cancer research on the world stage!

Her team's latest work was featured in an ePoster session on Sunday: new findings on how immune cells that recognise tumour mutations (neoantigen-specific T cells) travel around the body in lung cancer patients - showing up in tumour tissue, nearby lymph nodes, blood, and fluid around the lungs.

Findings like these help map where anti-tumour immune responses are active in the body - work that feeds into the broader effort to design next-generation T-cell therapies.

Great to see this research out representing WA on the international stage 🇦🇺

04/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 NCARD Annual Scientific Meeting over the past two days. It was fantastic to bring together researchers, clinicians and students from Western Australia and around the country (with colleagues also joining online from interstate and overseas) to share the latest in mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease research.

Thank you to our organising team, Dr Alistair Cook, Dr Tracy Hoang, Dr Francois Rwandamuriye and Dr Chloe Choi, and to everyone who presented across the two days of talks, flash talks and posters.

Some exciting news to share: NCARD announced that Perth will host the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (iMig) conference in 2027, bringing the global mesothelioma research community to WA.

Congratulations also to Callum Flanagan, who won the Student Presentation Prize at this year's meeting. Well deserved!

Institute for Respiratory Health

02/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night, in the room and online, for the 2026 NCARD Public Lecture: Asbestos in Australia Today: Risk, Research, and Future of Care. It was wonderful to see such a strong turnout for such an important conversation.

A big thank you to our speakers, Dr Rick van der Zwan (Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency), Dr Zeyad Al-Ogaili (Fiona Stanley Hospital, Royal Perth Hospital and UWA Research) and Dr Alistair Cook (NCARD), for sharing their research and insights so generously. Thank you also to Dr Tracy Hoang for convening the evening.

Professional photos from the night and a recording of the full lecture will be shared soon for anyone who couldn't make it. Stay tuned.

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31/08/2026

⏰ One day to go! Our 2026 Public Lecture, "Asbestos in Australia Today: Risk, Research, and Future of Care," is tomorrow, Tuesday 1 September, 5–6pm AWST at the Harry Perkins Institute, Nedlands (also streaming online).

Don't miss Dr Rick van der Zwan, Dr Zeyad Al-Ogaili and Dr Alistair Cook, convened by Dr Tracy Hoang.

RSVP now: https://bit.ly/NCARDPL2026

Institute for Respiratory Health UWA Research

28/08/2026

🔦 Our last speaker spotlight before the big night: Dr Alistair Cook (NCARD) closes the evening with "New Hope, New Approaches: Advances in Mesothelioma Research," the latest on NCARD's work to improve treatment outcomes for people with mesothelioma.

📅 Tuesday 1 September, 5–6pm AWST | Harry Perkins Institute, Nedlands (+ online) RSVP: https://bit.ly/NCARDPL2026

Institute for Respiratory Health UWA Research

Address

6 Verdun Street
Perth, WA
6009

Telephone

+61861511078

Website

http://www.ncard.org.au/

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