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'He gave us 10 extra years': Australian-first immune centre opens in Canberra

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • An Australian-first personalized immune treatment center has opened in Canberra, offering new hope for patients with complex immune disorders.
  • The treatment, developed by Associate Professor Simon Jiang, significantly improved the quality of life for Arthur Hodge, extending his life by an estimated 10 years.
  • The new center aims to bring world-leading science to patient care, accepting referrals nationwide and collaborating with Indigenous health initiatives.

Canberra has opened Australia's first Centre for Personalized Medicine, offering advanced immune treatments to patients with complex immune disorders. The center represents a significant step in integrating cutting-edge scientific research with direct patient care at the bedside.

The impact of this personalized approach was powerfully illustrated by the case of Arthur Hodge. His daughter, Emma Gilmour, described how Associate Professor Simon Jiang's treatment transformed her father's life. Previously confined to a wheelchair and enduring years of pain and palliative care, Hodge experienced a remarkable recovery, regaining mobility and vitality.

He went from being in a wheelchair and having seven months straight in hospital about 10 years ago, to pretty much running, getting into trouble ... for climbing up ladders.

— Emma GilmourDescribing the effect of the advanced immune treatment on her late father, Arthur Hodge.

"He went from being in a wheelchair and having seven months straight in hospital about 10 years ago, to pretty much running, getting into trouble ... for climbing up ladders," Gilmour said, emphasizing that the treatment effectively gave her father "10 extra years of Dad."

What Simon did for Dad in the 10 years since … he gave us 10 extra years of Dad.

— Emma GilmourReflecting on the impact of Associate Professor Simon Jiang's personalized treatment on her father's life.

Associate Professor Jiang's method focuses on identifying the specific genetic and immunological drivers of a patient's disease to tailor treatments. This personalized strategy marked a turning point for Hodge, who had previously undergone numerous unsuccessful treatments. The new center will provide this life-changing approach to other Australians, accepting referrals from across the country.

The Centre for Personalized Medicine is a collaborative effort, funded by federal government initiatives, the Australian National University, Canberra Health Services, and philanthropic donors. It also plans to work with the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics to develop new treatments for kidney disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, further expanding its reach and impact.

[The centre] will be accepting referrals from right around the country to do something that no other centre has yet been set up to do.

— Rachel Stephen-SmithACT Health Minister highlighting the unique national scope of the new Centre for Personalized Medicine.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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