Cancer Australia today announced the successful 2021 grant recipients to receive funding for innovative cancer research through the Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme (PdCCRS).
Seventeen new cancer research projects totalling $4.4 million will be funded by Cancer Australia and its Funding Partners: Can Too, Cure Cancer, Leukaemia Foundation, Lung Foundation Australia, My Room Children’s Cancer Charity Ltd, Pancare Foundation, and The Kids’ Cancer Project. The Australian Government, through Cancer Australia, will invest $2.8 million, with Funding Partners contributing $1.6 million, to fund the successful grant applications.
The PdCCRS funds priority-driven cancer research projects which are outcomes- and impact-focused, translatable into clinical practice, policy and/or further research; and able to foster consumer participation in cancer research, from design to implementation.
Acting Cancer Australia CEO A/Professor Cleola Anderiesz sincerely congratulated the successful 2021 grant recipients.
“The PdCCRS, now in its fifteenth year, has made a significant contribution to national cancer research to drive improve outcomes for Australians affected by cancer through its national collaborative funding model,” said A/Professor Anderiesz.
The successful applicants and their research projects are:
Brosda, Sandra - The University of Queensland
- Investigating the spatial and temporal tumour evolution to improve precision medicine in patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma
Castano-Rodriguez, Natalia -The University of New South Wales
- Understanding the crosstalk between autophagy and microbial lactate in stomach cancer
Colino-Sanguino, Yolanda - Children's Cancer Institute, The University of New South Wales
- Modelling epigenetic reprograming as immunotherapy for metastatic breast cancer
Guillerey, Camille - Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland
- Utilising cord blood-derived Natural Killer cells to prevent post-transplant relapse in Childhood Leukaemia
Hiwase, Devendra - Central Adelaide Local Health Network, The University of Adelaide
- Identifying synthetic lethal and microenvironmental targets to improve outcome of therapy-related myeloid neoplasms
Janaththani, Panchadsaram - Queensland University of Technology
- Alternative splicing of Iroquois Homeobox-4 (IRX4) as a mediator of androgen signalling in aggressive prostate cancer
Keall, Paul - University of Sydney
- Dynamic cancer targeting for radiation therapy patients
Liu, Pei - Children's Cancer Institute, The University of New South Wales
- Combination therapy with a pan P300/CBP/BET inhibitor and an Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase inhibitor as an effective treatment strategy against high-risk neuroblastoma
McDonnell, Alison - Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia
- Prognostic value of pleural effusion-derived tissue resident memory T cells
Naeini, Marjan -The Council of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research
- Investigating immune clusters in oesophageal cancer
Nassar, Zeyad - The University of Adelaide
- Fatty Acid Oxidation, a Novel Approach for Prostate Cancer Treatment
Poh, Ashleigh-Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, La Trobe University
- Targeting the myeloid-specific kinase HCK in non-small cell lung cancer to improve response to therapy
Syed, Shafiq - University of Newcastle
- A fatty link between stem cells and endometrial cancer: Understanding the role of Axin2+ stem cells in endometrial regeneration, cancer, and metastasis
Thijssen, Rachel - The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
- Elucidating leukaemia cell plasticity in resistance to targeted therapy
Tjin, Gavin - St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research
- Identification of megakaryocyte and platelet bone marrow niches
Trau, Matt - University of Queensland
- nanoIMPAC: Monitoring immune toxicities and tumour immune evasion in lung cancer
Vandyke, Kate - University of Adelaide
- An age-old problem: the role of senescent bone marrow stromal cells in MGUS to multiple myeloma progression
The PdCCRS is an annual, national, priority-driven research grants scheme which brings together Cancer Australia and other funders of cancer research to coordinate and maximise investment in cancer research across Australia. Since inception in 2007, 459 grants totalling $161 million have been funded through the PdCCRS.