Sarcoma specialist Prof. Evan Ingley originally studied in New Zealand and later in Australia and Switzerland, finally returning to Australia and setting up a Cell Signalling Group here in Perth. This led to personalised medicine for sarcoma patients, an approach which seeks to use knowledge gained from treating other types of cancer in the treatment of sarcoma cancers with a similar gene signature. There are 150 types of sarcoma cancer, although together they form only about 1% of all cancers. In Australia there around 1200 new cases each year, and these are more prevalent in younger people (up to about 21 years) and in the over 50s. The 5 year survival rate is in the region of 70%. Evan cited tests that were done on an initial base of 12 patients, and that base was later enlarged by a further 30 new patients. Analysis of the results has been entrusted to a so called ‘super-computer’, and the research is comparing cells of two different intensities. The team has discovered a gene that seems to control the distribution of cancer cells, and they are also looking at novel sarcoma risk genes. This has led to the discovery of 2 new genes and work is being done to understand what these genes do. The research also seeks to find out how patients react to various drugs. This very interesting session was rounded off with a number of questions from the floor.