The Lowy Cancer Research Centre has been the official new home of Children's Cancer Institute Australia since May 2010.

The state-of-the-art 16,000m² building accommodates up to 500 childhood cancer researchers, CCIA support staff and UNSW adult cancer researchers, as well as housing the very latest research technologies and facilities. After spending the past few years scattered across a number of different locations, all laboratories and staff are finally under one roof, allowing for much greater efficiency of operations.

The Lowy Cancer Research Centre is Australia’s only research facility integrating childhood and adult cancer research. Researchers are now able to explore the increased susceptibility of childhood cancer survivors to cancer in adulthood and the childhood origins of adult-onset cancer, as well as the many points of contrast between childhood and adult cancer – to gain new insights into both diseases. CCIA’s renowned expertise in translational research will be vital in achieving these outcomes.

Moving to the Lowy Cancer Research Centre more than tripled the Institute's wet and dry laboratory research capacity. This has enabled scientists to strategically build new areas of research that, along with existing translational research capacity, will provide exciting opportunities to deliver accelerated and improved outcomes in the cure, treatment and prevention of childhood cancer. 

The move to the new facilities was the culmination of the efforts of individuals and organisations over many years and marks the fulfilment of a dream – the dream of the parents and doctors who established the Institute more than 30 years ago.

The Centre is named in honour of leading businessman and philanthropist Frank Lowy and his family, who donated $10 million towards the cost of the new facilities. This is the largest single philanthropic donation ever received by the University of New South Wales.

The facilities also house the new $3.1 million ACRF Drug Discovery Centre for Childhood Cancer, dedicated to the development of new cancer therapeutics. The Centre is available to both childhood and adult cancer researchers, to not only develop new anti-cancer drugs more rapidly and effectively than ever before, but also to develop therapeutics that will be more sophisticated, targeting cancer cells more specifically and causing fewer unwanted side effects.