LIVER CANCER & PATIENT-DERIVED TUMOUR ORGANOIDS
With
Dr Benjamin Dwyer,
Senior Research Fellow &
Director, Western Australian Organioid Innovation Hub,
Curtin Medical Research Institute,
Curtin University, Western Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | February 2026
Dr Benjamin Dwyer is a translational cancer researcher driven by a clear purpose: to ensure discoveries made in the laboratory genuinely improve outcomes for patients.
Based at Curtin University, he established and now leads the organoid platform within the Liver Cancer Collaborative and directs the WA Organoid Innovation Hub, working at the intersection of biology, medicine and biotechnology to accelerate new treatments for liver cancer.
After completing his PhD in Perth, Dr Dwyer joined the world-leading liver research group of Prof Stuart Forbes at the University of Edinburgh, where he contributed to research spanning fundamental biology, clinical trials and commercial translation. He helped define how cholangiocarcinoma crosstalk with macrophages establishes a protective environment. In parallel, he was closely involved in the development of macrophage cell therapy for cirrhosis as part of the management team of the MATCH trials, and established novel, GMP-compatible methods to engineer and cryopreserve therapeutic macrophages, foundational methods for the commercial development of macrophage therapy. He was part of the founding team of a biotechnology spinout created to translate this work, and the therapeutic strategy built on those early methods is now progressing through Phase 1 clinical testing. Seeing principles he helped establish move from bench to bedside has been a defining milestone in his career.
Today, as part of the Liver Cancer Collaborative his research focuses on building patient-derived “mini tumours” for drug development that better predict treatment response, narrowing the gap between laboratory models and real patient outcomes.
COLLABORATIONS WITH:
Perkins Cancer Biobank, Australian Centre for RNA Therapeutics in Cancer, UWA, WA Data Science Innovation Hub, Murdoch University, Epichem, Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Australia WEHI National Drug Discovery Centre, Inventia Life Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS), University of Calgary
FUNDING FROM:
Department of Health WA FHRI Fund, Cancer Research Trust, Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA), Ian Potter Foundation, AMMF- The Cholangiocarcinoma Charity,
Source: Supplied and adapted
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2527-5417
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Funding the best brains to beat brain cancer
The Charlie Teo Foundation is dedicated to funding and advancing research into brain cancer, with a particular focus on developing more effective treatments and finding a cure for this devastating disease.
Since its inception, the foundation has committed nearly $15 million to brain cancer research, funding notable projects in Australia and the United States. These projects explore innovative approaches to understand and treat brain cancer more effectively, with a focus on translating findings from animal studies to human applications. Charlie’s dedication to finding solutions for this devastating disease remains unwavering as he travels frequently to collaborate with global researchers. -
Next generation nanomedicine and radiopharmaceuticals to treat cancer
Finding better ways of treating cancer, aside from finding a cure, aim to provide a better quality of life for those who suffer from it.
Professor Thurecht’s work focuses on nanomedicine and spans across the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the Centre for Advanced Imaging, at the University of Queensland in Australia.
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CASE STUDY High blood pressure and shorter sleep may worsen brain decline
People with high blood pressure who also lack sleep may be at increased risk of reduced cognitive performance and greater brain injury, Monash University research has found.
Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers assessed whether the combined effect of hypertension and short sleep duration had a negative impact on brain health.
