Cancer Society Announces Over $1m In New Research To Combat Cancer In New Zealand

Wellington, 28 July 2021 - The Cancer Society of New Zealand has funded more than $1,000,0000 in new research to combat cancer through its scientific 2020 Grant Round.

Among the projects funded include research into the impact of HPV vaccination on pre-cancerous changes in cervical cancer, led by Associate Professor Peter Sykes.

The Cancer Society also wants to focus attention on preventing cancer. Alcohol is our most socially acceptable and widely used carcinogen, yet most people don't fully understand the relationship between alcohol and cancer. We funded research into understanding the attitudes of middle age drinkers to better understand and engage this group who are at risk of developing alcohol-related cancers.

In addition, we have funded research looking at the relationship between a specific virus and the risk of developing breast cancer and new funding for a study of a potential new drug for cancer treatment.

Cancer Society Medical Director Dr Chris Jackson says: "Cancer remains New Zealand's biggest killer, and more than one in three people will die from cancer. This means we need better prevention, early detection, and treatments."

The Cancer Society is the largest private funder of cancer research in New Zealand. Over the last 10 years, we invested over 52 million dollars in total into research.

"Research is the first step towards reducing the rates of cancer and improving the chance of cure. We believe that by funding cutting-edge cancer research in New Zealand, we can make a major contribution to a global problem. None of this would be possible without the generous support we receive from New Zealanders every year on Daffodil Day," ends Dr Chris Jackson.

Read more:

Detailed summaries of the funded 2020 Grant Round research projects here available on our website:

• Dr Jessica Young – Holistic needs of non-hospice cancer patients: How to support them and their community of care?
• Associate Professor Peter Sykes - Impact of HPV Vaccination on cervical abnormalities in young women
• David Barker - Development of new co-therapy agents for improved cancer treatment
• Professor Antonia Lyons - Putting practice into policy: How can we reduce the incidence of alcohol-related cancers?
• Professor Sarah Hook - Clinical trial of an oral colorectal cancer therapeutic vaccine
• Douglas Gaskarth - Boosting the immune response to colon cancer with the help of bacteria
• Travis Perera - BM12-CAST: Using chemotherapy after sibling Bone Marrow Transplants to reduce complications
• Margaret Currie - Detecting cytomegalovirus at the single-cell level in breast tumours

© Scoop Media