NSW Minister for Medical Research Jillian Skinner recently announced four teams will share $14.2 million in State Government grants for research targeting new cancer treatments.
The Cancer Institute NSW grants will support the four teams as they investigate individualised treatments for ovarian cancer, new therapeutic approaches to childhood cancers, better management of cancer-related anxiety and depression, and the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nerve damage.
“The grants I announce today will support translational work which allows great ideas to move from the laboratory bench top to the patient’s bedside. It is vital we facilitate cutting-edge discoveries to improve outcomes for the 40,000 people in NSW diagnosed with cancer each year,” Mrs Skinner said.
Chief Cancer Officer and Cancer Institute NSW Chief Executive Officer Professor David Currow said: “The 2015 Translational Program Grants will allow researchers and clinicians to work together to assess potential new treatment pathways and find better ways to use existing drugs. Fast-tracking these discoveries will have a real impact on patients’ lives.”
The four projects to receive grants are:
Professor Phyllis Butow, University of Sydney ($3.64 million)
A sustainable and supported clinical pathway for managing anxiety and depression in cancer patients: Developing and evaluating components and testing implementation strategies.
Professor David Goldstein, University of New South Wales ($3.04 million)
Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy: assessment strategies, treatments and risk factors.
Professor Anna DeFazio, University of Sydney ($3.75 million)
INOVATe – Individualised ovarian cancer treatment through integration of genomic pathology in to multidisciplinary care.
Professor Glenn Marshall, University of New South Wales ($3.75 million)
Experimental therapeutics for Myc-driven childhood cancer.