The University of Newcastle has received just under $800,000 to undertake research into cancer-related heart disease – the second leading cause of death for patients with cancer, after cancer itself.
The Cancer Institute of NSW has awarded combined funding of $1.69M to the University and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research (almost $900,000) to fast-track the lifesaving research
Professor Aaron Sverdlov, recipient of the Institute’s new Accelerated Research Implementation Grant, said his team, co-led by Prof Doan Ngo at the University of Newcastle, supports people through their cancer journey and reduce the impact of cancer-related heart disease.
“Heart disease disproportionally affects people with cancer, and we need to do everything possible to keep people healthy and well,” Sverdlov said.
“Through specialist surveillance clinics in Newcastle, Maitland and Tamworth, we hope to identify, monitor and treat cancer patients most at risk of heart disease, so they can undergo cancer treatment without interruption and have the best chance of survival.”
Garvan Institute of Medical Research will invest in new cutting-edge equipment allowing researchers to analyse cells in high definition.
This new technology will help transform clinicians’ understanding of cancer, while identifying new opportunities for personalised cancer treatment.
NSW Chief Cancer Officer and Chief Executive of the Cancer Institute NSW, Professor Tracey O’Brien, said supporting and accelerating research and innovation was a priority of the NSW Cancer Plan.
“In NSW, someone is diagnosed with cancer every 11 minutes and it’s our obligation to do everything we can to save lives, and help people live free of cancer-related side effects and long-term health complications,” O’Brien said.
“These grants will help close gaps in our understanding of cancer and hopefully lead to better health outcomes for more people across NSW.”
NSW Minister for Medical Research and Member for Wyong, David Harris, said targeted research was vital to deliver better treatments and interventions that reduced the impact of cancer and ultimately saved lives.
“While significant progress has been made in understanding and treating cancer, it remains the leading cause of death in NSW with sadly one in two people set to be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime,” he said.
“NSW is home to world-leading researchers, who are passionate and committed to making cancer a thing of the past.
“We’re proud to be able to help two outstanding research teams progress their potentially life-changing work.”
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NSW Minister for Medical Research and Member for Wyong David Harris