2007-08 funding recipients
In 2007-08, the Agency provided $5.8 million to cancer research in Victoria through programs, projects, people and infrastructure grants. These were awarded to excellent candidates in the following areas:
Following a more lengthy Expression of Interest process, the Agency also announced recipients of the Platform Technology Capacity Building Grants.
Platform Technology Capacity Building Grant
Total funding: $748, 358
Prof Stephen Fox: Development of a Centre for the Molecular Pathology of Cancer
Dr Lara Lipton: Development of a bioinformatics platform in the Parkville precinct; improving outcomes in epithelial cancers.
Dr Ricky Johnstone: Enhanced access to whole genome RNA interference screens through the Victorian Centre for Functional Genomics.
Dr Elizabeth Williams: Development of a high content screening platform for individualised cancer chemotherapy.
A/Prof Wei Duan: Establishment of an aptamer-based technology platform for molecular targeting of cancer stem cell.
Clinical Trials and Tumour Stream research program
Clinical Trials – Pilot Studies: Total funding: $382,500
Dr Farshad Foroudi: A Study of Online Adaptive Radiation Therapy for Bladder Cancer.
Dr David Ritchie: Phase-III Study Autologous Peripheral Stem Cell Transplant and Adjuvant Vaccination with Autologous Dendritic Cells +/- Lenalidomide Maintenance in Multiple Myeloma.
Dr Michelle White: Echocardiography using TDI versus LV ejection fraction for detection of early cardiotoxicity due to chemotherapy to prevent adverse cardiac outcomes.
Clinical Trials – Infrastructure: Total funding: $1,624,217
Mr Marcus Clarke: Ongoing assistance to Cancer Trials Australia’s program to expand a clinical trial network in Victoria.
A/Prof Ian Davis: Seed funding for a new national cooperative clinical trials group for urologic cancers (prostate, kidney, bladder, germ cell).
A/Prof Richard Fisher: Boosting the infrastructure for oncology clinical trials – Information Technology, Trial Coordination and Training.
A/Prof Richard Fisher: Boosting the infrastructure for oncology clinical trials – statistics, clinical trial coordination and professional development.
A/Prof Jeremy Millar: Development of a complete, reliable, accessible Register of active cancer trials in Southern Melbourne.
Ms Laima Muceniekas: Research nurse education package.
A/Prof John Seymour: Program 1: Regional staffing and administrative support. Program 2: Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group Cooperative Oncology Group – infrastructure support.
A/Prof Raymond Snyder: A Web-based support tool for Breast Cancer Trials across Victoria.
Dr Craig Underhill: Capacity building for clinical trials at Border Medical Oncology.
Dr Greg Wheeler: Data export for advanced dosimetry audit in SJMB96 and SJMB03.
Tumour Streams - Total funding: $1,947,416
A/Prof Ian Davis: Systematic collection and retrieval of data and tissue in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
Mrs Sarah Everitt: A prospective study investigating the impact of serial PET/CT scans on the radiation therapy treatment of patients with lung cancer.
Prof Suzanne Garland: The oncogenic risk of HPV in children and adolescents: risk factors for early – onset cervical carcinoma and high-grade cervical dysplasia.
A/Prof Christopher Gilfillan: Defining the genetic pathology of epithelial thyroid tumours to improve diagnosis and the prediction of tumour behaviour.
Dr Paul James: A Translational study to investigate the clinical significance of low penetrance breast cancer genes in a cohort of Victorian hereditary breast cancer families.
A/Prof Geoffrey Lindeman: Establishment of a breast cancer biomarker discovery and evaluation program to improve patient outcomes.
A/Prof Grant McArthur :Melbourne Melanoma Project (MMP).
A/Prof Paul Mitchell: Application of scanning confocal endomicroscopy to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with lung cancer.
Dr Amanda Vincent: Assessment of ovarian reserve in premenopausal women with breast cancer following chemotherapy.
Supportive Care in Cancer Research program
Fellowship – total funding: $258,671
Dr Linda Mileshkin: Supporting the patient with advanced lung or breast cancer and their caregivers - making a difference.
Scholarship – total funding: $73,500
Ms Emma O’Brien: The effect of music therapy on hospitalised cancer patients’ quality of life, mood and satisfaction with hospital stay - a RCT.
Infrastructure – total funding: $744,816
Dr Jacqueline Anderson: The efficacy of targeting international forgetting strategies in memory rehabilitation for individuals with frontal lobe tumours.
Dr Sibilah Breen: Gathering further acceptability data about Supportive Care Resource Kits across different healthcare settings.
Ms Nicole Kiss: Establishment of a dietician / nurse-led clinic to optimise nutritional status of patients diagnosed with head and neck tumours.
Ms Marian Lieschke: Pilot study to assess the efficacy of a 24 hour nurse run phone advisory service for patients undergoing Medical Oncology or Haematology care, in reducing admissions for chemotherapy and related side effects.
Dr Patricia Livingston: Developing supportive care measures across day oncology settings, and in ED, to assist cancer patient’s care during chemotherapy treatment.
Dr Patricia Livingston: A nurse-assisted screening and referral program for depression among survivors of cancer: a pilot study.
Prof Jeanette Milgrom: Psychological intervention to reduce depression and anxiety in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy
Ms Lee-Anne Sargeant: Development & evaluation of an interdisciplinary oncology rehabilitation program.
A/Prof Elmer Villanueva: Economic and return-to work issues of rural patients diagnosed with cancer.
Mrs Melinda Williams: Definition of the emotional/psychosocial needs of patients across the BSWRICS, via the implementation of a supportive care needs self assessment screening tool.
Dr Addie Wooten: Investigating the experience of cancer patients enrolled in clinical trials: What is the psychological impact of participation and are there any unmet supportive care needs? A pilot study.
Regional Cancer Research (infrastructure) enabling grants
Total funding: $488,814
Dr Robert Blum: Travel, education and staffing expenses for familial cancer research.
Dr Philip Campbell: Conference attendance, staffing and equipment costs.
Dr Geoff Chong: Staffing, conference attendance and training costs.
Prof John McNeil: Staffing costs for establishing a clinical research unit in Shepparton through the ASPREE trial.
Dr Craig Underhill: Equipment and licensing costs.
A/Prof Elmer Villanueva: Staffing, research design support and equipment costs.
Early Career Seed grants
Total funding: $290,992
Dr Anne Cust: Identification and risk prediction of individuals at high risk of melanoma.
Dr Dragan Ilic: Prostate cancer screening in general practice – knowledge, practice and uptake of evidence.
Dr Karen Scalzo: The effects of chemotherapy on peripheral levels of conventional and non-conventional regulatory T cells in patients with ovarian cancer.
Dr Benjamin Solomon: Molecular predictors of outcome after chemoradiation for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Dr Renea Taylor: Molecular Profiling and Plasticity of Prostate Cancer Stem Cells with Disease Progression.
Dr Andrew Wei: Bridging the gap between drug development and rational-based clinical trials using a novel screening approach to identify synergistic drug combinations.
Link and Learn grants
Total funding: $33,900
Dr Elizabeth Algar: Travel to: 1. Affymetrix Clinical Service laboratory, West Sacramento; 2. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; 3. Hospital for Sick Kids, Toronto; 4. Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute.
Dr Anne Cust: Travel to the melanoma genetics international research consortium (GenoMEL) at University of Leeds (Genetic Epi Division, Cancer Research UK) and the GenoMEL collaborators’ meeting in Paris.
A/Prof Wei Duan :Travel to the University of Florida Shands Cancer Centre, Harvard Medical School and North-Eastern University, Boston.
Ms Katie Evans: Travel to the Royal Marsden Hospital, London UK.
Dr Katherine Morley: Travel to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
Dr Andrew Stephens: Travel to the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Mr Jacky Wong: Travel to the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Brussels.