Dr John Colebatch’s persistence in the face of resistance from the medical community in the late 1950s brought about a shift in attitudes to the possibilities of finding cures for cancer. Today, more than 80 per cent of childhood cancers can be cured because of his pioneering work.
This is the spirit of the Colebatch Clinical Research Fellowship, our highly sought-after grant for outstanding researchers taking cancer treatment into new territory. In 2020, Professor Shankar Siva, a pioneer in stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) treatment, became the latest recipient, researching ways to use SABR to improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy.
The fellowship forms part of Dr Colebatch’s ongoing legacy and is something his own children are extremely proud of. When Dr Colebatch’s son, Tim, passed away in early 2024 from cancer on the brain, he continued his father's legacy with a gift in his Will.
“Tim was very proud of what his father achieved in his medical career and took an active interest in the Colebatch Fellowship,” said Tim’s wife Mary.
Tim Colebatch with his wife Mary.
“In what turned out to be one of our last visits to Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre last year, Tim was delighted to be able to meet Prof. Shankar Siva in person who kindly spent time with us talking about his career and the research the fellowship was enabling him to pursue.”
The five-year grant has enabled Prof. Siva to test the combination of immunotherapy drugs with SABR, a targeted form of radiotherapy, to improve immune responses in patients with solid tumours.
“By giving these treatments, we’re eradicating areas that are resistant to immunotherapy, also allowing the immunotherapies to recognise the cancer better and to eradicate other sites of disease,” said Prof. Siva.
As his fellowship term comes to an end, the discoveries he has made are likely to have a global impact and benefit thousands of patients worldwide.
“Thank you for supporting cancer research. It has made a real impact to the patients who are getting treated for cancer every day,” said Prof. Siva.
Prof. Siva with the innovative technology he has harnessed to improve treatments.
“Tim’s death reinforced all too devastatingly for him, and us, how vital it is to support ongoing research into understanding and treating cancer successfully. We are very pleased that his bequest will contribute to this important work,” said Mary.
Leave a lasting legacy
Imagine a future where more cancers are preventable, every diagnosis is treatable, and anyone can live to hear the words, “You’re cancer free.”
Learn more about the impact you can have by joining Tim and other like-minded supporters in leaving a gift in your Will by contacting our team at giftsinwills@cancervic.org.au or clicking the button below.
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