2016 Lab Day

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A full house was the order of the day when the CIKA committee along with Royal Children’s Hospital and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute hosted the annual Lab Open Day.  This event provided a great opportunity to share with our many CIKA friends the work that is undertaken by the researchers that we support and, as always, we were astounded by the leap forward not only in the diagnosis of cancer but the different ways that treatment is applied to this disease.

As well as many individuals, we welcomed three groups who help fund our work: the folk from the Cardinia Waters Retirement Village, the wonderful and energetic Macedon Ranges Focus Group and representatives of the Templestowe Auxiliary who,  in an RCH first, are helping in a joint funding venture with CIKA.

Dr Louise Ludlow as always was most generous with her time and explanation of her work undertaken at MCRI.
Two tours were hosted and here one group listens to a presentation.

The order of proceedings included a welcome and video by Rebecca Harfood, Dr Francoise Mechinaud, who gave an update on the Children’s Cancer Center, and Sue Hunt, Chief Executive Officer of the R.C.H Foundation who thanked our guests for their longstanding commitment to raising funds for research into childhood cancer.  Guests were then escorted to the three tour stops.

1 Clinical trials. CIKA is currently funding this position and Katherine Kinross gave a detailed description of her work in this area.

2 Dr Louise Ludlow as always was very keen to share with our guests the work undertaken in the Cancer Research Labs with a particular interest in the Tissue Bank.

3 Professor Ed Stanley who astounded us with vision of a beating heart cell this cloned from skin cells that had been converted to stem cells.  Such great strides forward illustrate the importance of continuing to fund research.

CIKA member Pam Phillips with our guests from Cardinia Waters Village Waters Retirement Village, longstanding CIKA supporters.

The afternoon tea following the tour was a great opportunity to engage with the guests and all agreed that the Lab Day not only provided a great amount of important information but also reinforced the message that their fundraising is vital to the CIKA team.  Special thanks also to Auxiliaries Manager Michelle Rule who, with Laurel-Leigh Lawson assisted with the hosting of the event.

In a first for R.C.H. Auxiliarys we welcomed members from the Templestowe Auxiliary who are assisting with joint funding at MCRI.
Vice President Ellen Webb with CIKA member Jim Dawson.
Lab Days, Lab Tours, Louise Ludlow, Past Events, Research