A Sydney mechanic, devastated by deadly diagnoses amongst his friends, has thrown himself into finding a cure for mesothelioma.
Training as a mechanic in his younger years, he headed to the classroom and into the lab to apply his skills as an electronic diagnostic technician to try and save lives.
He was studying a Life Sciences course at the Sydney University of Technology, when his focus shifted to cancer diagnosis after several of his former colleagues were diagnosed with mesothelioma.
He approached Professor Tony George with an idea to develop a new way of identifying asbestos fibres in the lungs, with the end goal of containing and destroying them.
With the assistance of Professor Geroge, Mr Ravasini secured philanthropic funds. “We knew we wanted to make sure every dollar was well spent, so we didn’t take a pay cheque, and I kept the auto repair shop open to make sure my family could survive,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
The research project has already progressed through trials and testing, and has revealed that treatment via immune cells attacking asbestos fibres works to prevent growth and eventually remove them from the patient.
“This was our goosebump moment,” he said. “This had never been demonstrated anywhere else in the world.
“The university was so shocked by the findings they asked us to do some re-testing because they couldn’t believe the result.”
The pair are seeking additional funding to ensure the treatment progresses to human trials, following FDA approval, within Australia, to provide a homegrown solution to a growing problem.