The Kids’ Cancer Project ramps up collaboration and funding in vital sarcoma research
2023-07-07
July marks Sarcoma Awareness Month, a time when we shine a light on a cancer responsible for about 20% of childhood cancer diagnoses. Thanks to the ongoing commitment of our wonderful community, The Kids’ Cancer Project is actively funding nine projects across Australia in order to develop better treatment options for those kids.
Historically, sarcoma has been known as ‘the forgotten cancer’ due to a historic lack of awareness and understanding of it, something that has sadly led to delayed and misdiagnosis, poor survival outcomes and limited research and drug development.
With over 20% of childhood cancer diagnoses being for sarcoma, and one in three children with sarcoma dying of relapse, further research is urgently needed. However, thanks to the support and generous donations of people like you, we’re doing just that.
The Kids’ Cancer Project is proudly funding nine bold and innovative projects for sarcoma patients at institutions across Australia. The multiyear funding commitment amounts to over $1.97 million and includes seven research projects, two clinical trials and a sarcoma cancer research fellowship with the Australian New Zealand Sarcoma Alliance.
Six of those projects are being co-funded with likeminded charities including the Cooper Rice Brading Foundation, the Tie Dye Project, Perpetual, the Cancer Australia Priority driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme and Rainbows for Kate, bringing the total invested into sarcoma research to an incredible $2.86 million. Speaking about the charity’s commitment to pushing sarcoma research further, CEO of The Kids’ Cancer Project, Owen Finegan said:
“We are excited about partnering with like-minded charities to bolster the investment into sarcoma research. A commitment to a pipeline of research from the bench to the bedside will ensure that we move the dial for sarcoma research and give every patient a better quality of treatment, a better chance of survival and a better quality of life.”
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One of the projects being collaboratively funded is that of Associate Professor Geoff McCowage and Dr Kavitha Gowrishankar at the Children’s Cancer Institute in Sydney. After initial collaborative funding of $281,000 from The Kids’ Cancer Project and the Tie Dye Project, their research into CAR T cell therapy for sarcoma has seen some incredibly promising results. Speaking of how important gifts from the public are, Associate Professor Geoff McCowage said:
“With the incredibly generous and committed help of the people like you, more kids are surviving cancer than ever before. It’s truly heartening to know that the community are standing alongside scientists like us as we strive to save more kids from cancer."
Their initial data has now seen the team successfully achieve an incredible grant of $2.29 million from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), funding that will push their lifesaving research into a phase 1 clinical trial.
Speaking about the importance of funding, Denise Caruso, CEO of the Australian and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA), said:
“Sarcoma is a complex, rare and difficult group of tumours that require research to make impactful improvements. Funding for sarcoma research is an ongoing challenge given this complexity. ANZSA is highly dependent on philanthropic support for research funds, as sarcoma research generally falls outside of the industry’s scope. We are grateful for our partnership with The Kids’ Cancer Project to futureproof this research and train the next generation of sarcoma clinician researchers.”
Without the support of people like you, vital projects investigating better ways to treat sarcoma in kids wouldn’t be possible. By donating to The Kids’ Cancer Project, you’re directly helping researchers around the country develop lifesaving treatments that stand to save children from needlessly dying from cancer. Thank you.