Donations doubled and research reach grown on Giving Day, Tuesday 6 February

To commemorate World Cancer Day on Sunday 4 February and continue work towards closing the care gap, Cancer Council SA is hosting South Australia’s first Cancer Research Giving Day on Tuesday 6 February to raise vital funds for cancer research. What makes Cancer Research Giving Day truly extraordinary is the commitment of some very special donors to double donations received during a 12-hour marathon of generosity and compassion.

Donations given on Giving Day enable us to invest in the best researchers in the state. In 2024, we will be celebrating the award of nearly two million dollars in South Australian cancer research through the Cancer Council Beat Cancer Project.

Six new fellowships have been announced for South Australian cancer researchers who are working to reduce the rate and impact of cancer through:

• trials of new immunotherapies
• creating a tool to empower parents to make healthy food choices to lower cancer risk in children
• developing a blood test to help detect blood cancer in the brain for people with Down syndrome
• identifying late and long-term effects of cancer treatments
• elder care treatment decisions for breast cancer
• understanding the impacts of cancer survivorship.

Cancer Council SA General Manager, Support and Research Dr Peter Diamond said that the recipients of this year’s round of funding highlighted the exciting and innovative work being done across the breadth of cancer research in South Australia’s own research institutions.

“Since 2011, we have invested more than $42.5 million into cancer research in South Australia. Each year we are impressed by the range and depth of proposed research. This year’s recipients include clinicians, lab researchers and psychologists researching across a range of cancer types and all stages of research; from prevention and health behaviour research, through to treatment and survivorship,” he said.

“Supporting cancer research is a key focus for Cancer Council SA because we know that research breakthroughs contribute to more people surviving their cancer diagnosis.”

“We congratulate all our Beat Cancer Project fellowship recipients and are very proud to support these South Australian researchers in their work, which will be conducted at SAHMRI, Flinders University, Adelaide University and the University of South Australia.”

To donate to Cancer Council SA’s Cancer Research Giving Day on Tuesday 6 February visit the Giving Day website here.

For more information on the Cancer Council Beat Cancer Project visit the Cancer Council SA website here.

2024 Cancer Council Beat Cancer Project recipients:

Dr Kerry Beckman | University of South Australia | Mid-Career Research Fellowship | Bowel cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer
Research Project Title: Better Outcomes Beyond Cure: Identifying serious, late and long-term adverse effects of cancer treatments.

Dr Kevin Fenix | University of Adelaide | Mid-Career Research Fellowship | Colorectal cancers
Research Project Title: Cytokine induced killer cell therapy as a treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer.

Dr Kerry Ettridge | SAHMRI | Mid-Career Research Fellowship | All cancers
Research Project Title: Harnessing parental power to combat vested interests of the food industry; reducing food misperceptions and empowering parents.

Dr Elyse Page | SAHMRI | Early Career Research Fellowship | Leukaemia
Research Project Title: Exploring Genomic and Epigenomic Clonality in Down Syndrome Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

Dr Huah Shin Ng | Flinders University | Early Career Research Fellowship | Breast Cancer
Research Project Title: Real-world data for evidence-based treatment decisions in older adults with breast cancer.

Dr Imogen Ramsey | Flinders University | Early Career Research Fellowship | All Cancers
Research Project Title: Surveillance of patient-reported outcomes in cancer survivorship: a patient-centred approach to understanding the impacts of cancer on population health.