Our Research - Captain Courageous : Captain Courageous

Since 2010, Captain Courageous has assembled a group of like-minded researchers across Australia, all aligned behind a single research goal. In the process, we have established and funded Australia’s first national collaborative research initiative of its kind: the Australian Diamond Blackfan Anaemia Program (ADBA program).

Each of the involved research institutions plays a role based on their specific technology and expertise. Among them are five leading Australian universities (University of Queensland, ANU, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, University of Adelaide and the Western Australian University). This collective effort is exceptionally rare due to globally limited research funding resulting in competitiveness that directly impacts the willingness to share ideas and collaborate.

Through our research so far, we have discovered mechanisms in bone marrow failure with the potential to kill blood cancers such as leukaemia, myeloma and lymphoma. We’re not just challenging one opponent; we’re developing potential treatments for a range of currently incurable cancers.

Captain Courageous Foundation Research Workshop

August 7th, 2013 marked the first of our strategic workshops. Some incredible points came to light amidst a room of leading professionals in the field of bone marrow failure.

Twelve inspiring researchers, ribosomal professors, sarcoma researchers and clinicians gathered together without worry of protecting their intellectual property, patents and findings. Together, the group strategically developed a working model for research, including aims, objectives, strategies, time frames and funding requirements to guarantee an acceleration of the research. We shared research, methods, goals, results and ambitions in a truly collaborative environment.

Attending board member, Rachel Atkins, left us with this:
“I now know that diseases such as DBA come about when a gene mutates – it causes a stress response from the cell, which causes the symptoms that patients feel. But what I know best, is that there is a good chance the Captain Courageous Foundation can truly make a difference because it is the rare diseases that can sometimes hold all the answers.”

By the time the workshop concluded, our group of experts had collectively shaped the research program to ensure we were harnessing all available technologies and intellectual property in the most inclusive and effective ways possible. From that point we have worked efficiently without waste, duplication and most importantly, without ego.

Intellectual Property and Collaboration

We’re committed to protecting any discoveries resulting from our funded research. To ensure the appetite for further discovery is continually fed, the foundation will reinvest any commercial benefits into advancing research objectives. Notwithstanding this, it is intended that our research outcomes will be shared with other organisations focused on research into bone marrow failure diseases, moving beyond common research barriers to accelerate learning and ultimately benefit patient outcomes.

Future Research

In line with our mission, we are expanding bone marrow failure research efforts with leading Australian academics and researchers, and sponsoring additional projects that will speed up the research of bone marrow failure diseases.