Australian Cancer Research Foundation
Australian not-for-profit organisation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) is an Australian not-for-profit organisation which funds research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all types of cancer. It provides multimillion-dollar grants for innovative research equipment, technology, and infrastructure development to support the work of Australian cancer scientists and clinicians.[1]
| |
| Founded | 1984 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Sir Peter Abeles AC and Lady (Sonia) McMahon |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Location | |
Region served | Australia |
Key people | Dr Tim Cooper AM (Chairman) and Kerry Strydom (Chief Executive) |
| Website | www |
History and structure
Established in 1984 by businessman and philanthropist, the late Sir Peter Abeles AC.
Lady (Sonia) McMahon was also a founding Board member until her death in 2010.[2]
A Board of Trustees, composed of prominent and influential Australians govern the organisation, headed by chair, Tim Cooper AM.[3]
A Medical Research Advisory Committee (MRAC) comprising Australian and international cancer experts, assesses all grant applications, shortlists applicants for a panel interview and advises the ACRF Board of Trustees on which grant applications will have the highest impact in improving cancer prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment. Membership of the MRAC is authorised by the National Health and Medical Research Council. The current co-chairs of the MRAC are Michelle Haber AM and professor Ricky Johnstone.[4]
Funding
The Foundation awards grants between $1.5 million and $10 million, based on scientific excellence, a cohesive research program, qualified team and strong governance. To date, $209+ million has been awarded through 93 grants to 44 research institutes, universities and hospitals across Australia, for research into all cancers.[5] ACRF is privately funded — it receives no government funding. Financial statements are publicly available on the Foundation's website.[6]
Project funding approved
| Year | Amount | State/ Territory |
Institute/Hospital/Centre | Project |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | $1,0000,000 | NSW | Centre for Immunology, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney | Immune system and cancer defence |
| 1988 | $610,000 | VIC | Cancer Research Centre, St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne | Solid cancers and bone breakdown |
| 1991 | $1,080,000 | VIC | Austin Research Institute, Melbourne | Immune system and cancer defence (breast, ovarian, pancreas, lung, and bowel cancers) |
| 1994 | $1,096,000 | QLD | Centre for Molecular & Cellular Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane | Skin, kidney and childhood cancers |
| $1,000,000 | SA | Hanson Centre, Royal Adelaide Hospital | Leukaemia and solid cancers | |
| 1997 | $1,000,000 | ACT | Medical Genome Centre, Australian National University, Canberra | Immune system, gene and cancer defence |
| $1,002,000 | NSW | Westmead Institute for Cancer Research, Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, Sydney | Skin, breast and ovarian cancers and leukaemia | |
| 1998 | $50,000 | TAS | University of Tasmania, Hobart | Immune system and cancer defence |
| 1999 | $1,000,000 | QLD | Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane | Vaccine for cervical cancer |
| $1,200,000 | WA | Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Royal Perth Hospital | Eight state-of-the-art research laboratories | |
| 2000 | $1,300,000 | VIC and QLD | Australian Genome Research Facility | Microarray |
| 2001 | $1,000,000 | VIC | Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne | 3D Imaging of proteins |
| $500,000 | NSW | Children's Cancer Institute Australia, University of New South Wales, Sydney | Formation of new blood vessels | |
| 2002 | $1,500,000 | SA | University of Adelaide | Early diagnosis |
| $1,350,000 | QLD | Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane | Cellular imaging | |
| 2003 | $1,200,000 | QLD | Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane | Cellular imaging |
| $1,100,000 | NSW | Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney | Molecular genetics | |
| $1,000,000 | VIC | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne | Cell Imaging program | |
| 2004 | $1,000,000 | VIC | Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne | New children's cancer research centre laboratories |
| $1,130,000 | ACT | John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra | Biomolecular Resource Facility | |
| $900,000 | VIC | St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne | ACRF Rational Drug Discovery Facility | |
| 2005 | $1,140,000 | QLD | Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane | Integrated Brain Tumour Flow Cytometry Screening Facility |
| $1,000,000 | VIC | Royal Melbourne Hospital | Translational research laboratory interface (hematology and bone marrow research) | |
| $1,000,000 | VIC | The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Melbourne | Bioinfomatics and tissue banking | |
| $1,000,000 | NSW | Westmead Institute for Cancer Research, Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, Sydney | New wing increasing collaboration among researchers | |
| $1,000,000 | SA | Flinders University/Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide | Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer Prevention and Care laboratory | |
| 2006 | $5,000,000 | NSW | Centenary Institute for Cancer Research and Sydney Cancer Centre | ACRF Centre for Basic and Translational Cancer Research |
| $1,200,000 | NSW | Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney | Cell and Molecular Therapy Unit equipment and fit-out | |
| $1,100,000 | TAS | Menzies Research Institute, Hobart | ACRF Tasmanian Inherited Cancer Centre | |
| 2007 | $5,000,000 | NSW | Centenary Institute for Cancer Research and Sydney Cancer Centre | ACRF Centre for Basic and Translational Cancer Research |
| $3,200,000 | QLD | The Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine, Brisbane | ACRF Comprehensive Cancer Genomics Facility | |
| $3,100,000 | NSW | Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Sydney | ACRF Drug Discovery Centre for Childhood Cancer | |
| $2,700,000 | QLD | Queensland Institute for Medical Research, Brisbane | The ACRF Centre for Cancer Epigenetics | |
| 2008 | $2,500,000 | VIC | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne | For new technologies to identify genes controlling cancer cell behaviour |
| $2,500,000 | QLD | Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane | To decipher gene and protein interactions which affect the behaviour of cancer cells | |
| $2,500,000 | NSW | The Garvan St Vincents Campus Cancer Centre, Sydney | To support the research components which will be part of a world-class comprehensive cancer centre | |
| 2009 | $3,500,000 | SA | Centre for Cancer Biology, South Australian Pathology and The University of Adelaide | To establish a new Cancer Genomics Facility |
| $3,100,000 | NSW | Children's Medical Research Institute, Sydney and University of Newcastle | For the world's first Chemical Proteomics Centre for Kinomics[7] | |
| 2010 | $2,500,000 | NSW | The Garvan St Vincent's Campus Cancer Centre (Kinghorn Cancer Centre), Sydney | To extend the 2008 grant to support the research components which will be part of a world-class comprehensive cancer centre |
| $2,400,000 | WA | The Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth | For the ACRF Cancer Imaging Facility to promote innovation in cancer research, and ensure a high quality imaging hub to facilitate world-class cancer discoveries with direct relevance to clinical outcomes | |
| $2,000,000 | VIC | The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne | To expand their two new cancer divisions – the Stem Cells and Cancer Division and Chemical Biology Division | |
| $1,600,000 | VIC | Monash Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne | For the ACRF Centre for Cancer Genomics to facilitate innovative and internationally competitive research that translates to significant outcomes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer | |
| 2011 | $5,000,000 | NSW | Westmead Institute for Cancer Research, Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, Sydney | For new ACRF Melanoma Research Laboratories which will house two internationally recognised melanoma research teams |
| $2,000,000 | VIC | Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Melbourne | To develop a new ACRF Centre for Translational Cancer Therapeutics and Imaging | |
| $2,000,000 | VIC | St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne | To expand the existing ACRF Rational Drug Discovery Centre | |
| 2012 | $3,500,000 | VIC | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne | For cancer cell isolation and profiling of rare tumour populations |
| $2,000,000 | QLD | Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane | Technologies for molecular genetics, including exact tumour localisation and analysis | |
| $2,000,000 | QLD | Diamantina Institute, Brisbane | Seed-funding for the development of an individualised oncology care centre | |
| 2013 | $2,600,000 | QLD | QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane | Development of a cutting-edge Centre for Comprehensive Biomedical Imaging |
| $2,000,000 | NSW | Children's Medical Research Institute, Sydney | To establish a dedicated Telomere Analysis Centre | |
| $2,000,000 | VIC | The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Melbourne | To fit-out a specialised centre for translational research and personalised cancer medicine | |
| $1,800,000 | SA | South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide | Seed-funding for a new ACRF Innovative Cancer Imaging and Therapeutics Facility | |
| 2014 | $2,500,000 | VIC | Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne | For the development of the ACRF Breakthrough Technologies Laboratory to advance new treatments for many of Australia's most common, and most deadly cancers |
| $1,500,000 | NSW | Children's Cancer Institute, Sydney | Development of a Precision Medicine Centre for children at high risk of treatment failure | |
| $2,500,000 | QLD | Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane | To establish an imaging facility that enhances treatment options for companion animals with cancer, and humans. | |
| $2,500,000 | NSW | Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney | Development of improved radiotherapy and imaging techniques for cancer patients. | |
| 2015 | $1,000,000 | QLD | University of Queensland, Brisbane | For discovery and development of innovative methods for the early detection of lung cancer to allow earlier intervention and improved treatment outcomes |
| $2,000,000 | VIC | The Australian Synchrotron, Victoria | For the technology to place Australia at the forefront of cancer drug discovery and development | |
| $2,000,000 | SA | Centre for Cancer Biology, Adelaide | For technology to accelerate our understanding of the causes of cancer and translate these findings into improved outcomes for cancer patients | |
| $2,000,000 | ACT | The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Acton, ANU | To explore existing collections of Australia's native plants for new cancer treatments | |
| $10,000,000 | NSW | Children's Medical Research Institute, Westmead | To establish the ACRF International Centre for the Proteome of Cancer (ProCan).This facility will provide a major step forward for cancer diagnosis and treatment of Australians. By analysing tens of thousands of samples of all types of cancers from all over the world, scientists in Australia will develop a library of information to advance scientific discovery and enhance clinical treatment worldwide | |
| 2016 | $2,000,000 | VIC | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne | To learn more about the mutation, internal variation, location and the impact of time on the growth and treatment of tumours |
| $2,500,000 | NSW | Centenary Institute, Sydney | To determine the differences in nutrient metabolism by cancerous and normal cells to improve cancer treatments | |
| $2,300,000 | QLD | Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane | To provide microscopes that can see cancer cell behaviour and their response to drugs in order to stop the spread of cancer | |
| $1,200,000 | VIC | Monash University and Alfred Hospital, Melbourne | To develop a national program to improve patient outcomes for multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukaemia | |
| 2017 | $2,000,000 | VIC | Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and La Trobe University, Melbourne | For new imaging technology which will help develop new therapies by examining tumours within the patient's body as well as individual cells in a tumour. |
| $1,750,000 | WA | Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Perth | For equipment that will help build in-depth knowledge of all cell types that make up a tumour. This will provide new insights into how cancer cells evolve and interact with normal cells, leading to new treatments. | |
| $1,750,000 | QLD | QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane | For the development of manufacturing and monitoring facilities that will support new immunotherapy clinical trials | |
| $2,000,000 | NSW | South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney | For a new facility that supports research into improving long-term outcomes of cancer patients and survivors | |
| 2018 | $9,900,000 | QLD, NSW, VIC | University of Queensland, University of Sydney and Monash University | To establish a diagnostic centre for the early detection of melanoma, with a roll out of fifteen total body imaging systems |
| $2,000,000 | VIC | Bio21 Molecular Science and Technology Institute | To develop cutting-edge drug discovery technology for cancers with no approved therapy available, or requiring improved treatment | |
| $2,500,000 | SA | South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute | For technology to provide new approaches to interrogate cancer biology | |
| $2,000,000 | QLD | Compounds Australia, Griffith University | To establish a transformative acoustic compound management compound with integrated software to enable Australian researchers access to the most advanced compound capability available | |
| 2019 | $3,500,000 | NSW | Children's Cancer Institute | To establish The ACRF Child Cancer Liquid Biopsy Program, which will use latest technologies to develop a suite of blood tests for childhood cancer patients aimed at improved diagnosis, earlier relapse detection, better monitoring of treatment response and enhanced delivery of the right treatment to the right child at the right time. |
| $3,500,000 | VIC | Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research | To focus on the discovery of triggers that drive cancer development, how genetic diversity in cancers affects treatment efficacy, and develop better ways of personalising cancer therapies to conquer the biggest challenges in cancer today – predicting and improving patients' treatment response and overcoming drug resistance. | |
| 2020 | $1.8 million | VIC | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre | To establish the ACRF Radiation Immuno-oncology Program, a unique Victoria-based program that will study how radiation therapy also triggers host anti-cancer immune defences, much like a vaccine. |
| $3 million | NSW | Garvan Institute of Medical Research | To establish the ACRF Centre for Intravital Imaging of Niches for Cancer Immune Therapy at Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research. This world-first Australian-designed custom intravital microscopy centre will overcome the limitations of conventional microscopes in viewing the interactions between the immune system and cancer, below the surface of tumours and deep inside tissues. | |
| $1.2 million | QLD | University of Queensland | To establish the ACRF Facility for Targeted Radiometals in Cancer at The University of Queensland’s Centre for Advanced Imaging. An Australian-first facility for the discovery, development and clinical translation of novel alpha particle-based cancer therapeutics, with the aim of unlocking the cancer-curing potential of targeted alpha therapy. | |
| 2021 | $2.6 million | QLD | Griffith University Institute for Glycomics | To establish the ACRF International Centre for Cancer Glycomics which will be a unique hub of exciting and revolutionary cancer glycomics research. |
| $2 million | QLD | The University of Queensland Thoracic Research Centre | To establish the ACRF Lung Cancer Screening Centre of Excellence, a world-first mobile lung cancer multiplatform research facility focused on early detection research for lung cancer - the leading cause of cancer deaths globally. | |
| $1.5 million | NSW | Centenary Institute | To establish the ACRF Molecular Theranostics Laboratory which will house world-leading research into the use of theranostics to treat cancer. | |
| 2022 | $2.1 million | VIC | Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute | To establish the ACRF Centre for Precision Medicine at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) that will utilise a “theranostic” approach of combined imaging and treatment with novel drugs to enhance therapeutic responses and exploit new technology for tumour treatment. |
| 2023 | $2 million | NSW | Children's Cancer Institute of Australia | To establish the ACRF Spatial Immune-oncology Research Program. This world-leading program will utilise the latest technologies to cast light on the complex interactions between cancer cells and immune cells in children, accelerating the discovery, development, and deployment of new and effective immune-based therapeutic strategies for children with cancer. |
| $2 million | NSW | Macquarie University | To establish the ACRF Centre for Advanced Cancer Modelling, a unique program of research that aims to transform the assessment of the best available treatment for an individual. | |
| $2 million | QLD | QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute | To establish the ACRF Centre for Optimised Cancer Therapy. This grant will enable the research team to optimise and improve treatments, based on individual patient responses, ensuring every patient has the best chance of cure from their cancer. | |
| 2024 | $2 million | VIC | Alfred Health and Monash University | To establish the ACRF Centre for Dynamic Immuno-Oncology. This innovative research initiative aims to address key challenges in cancer immunotherapy. |
| $5 million | NSW | Children's Cancer Institute | To establish the ACRF Childhood Cancer Early Detection, Prevention and Treatment Program. This Centre will focus on diagnosing cancer predisposition, preventing early disease progression and recurrence; advancing safer and more effective treatments; and developing targeted therapies for previously untreatable cancers. | |
| $3 million | VIC | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre | To establish the ACRF Centre for Cellular Imaging of Precision Immunotherapy which aims to unlock the power of immunotherapy for more people with cancer by discovering causes of resistance and predicting individual benefit. | |
| $10 million | VIC | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre | To establish the ACRF Centre of Advanced Imaging-Guided Cancer Therapeutics. The Centre will install a world-first total-body PET/CT scanner – an ultrasensitive and ultrafast molecular scanning device that enables cancer to be pinpointed and targeted with unmatched precision. | |
| 2025 | $2.5 million | VIC | Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research | To establish the ACRF BRAIINSTORM Program, a landmark Australian initiative to accelerate the development of new therapies for an aggressive and lethal form of brain cancer: High-Grade Gliomas. |
| $2.5 million | QLD | Princess Alexandra Hospital and Griffith University | To establish the ACRF Centre for High-Risk Breast Cancer that will provide a world leading magnetic resonance scanner that can detect warning chemical changes in breast tissue years before cancer appears. | |
| $2.5 million | NSW | Garvan Institute of Medical Research | To establish the ACRF Centre for Mass spectrometry Analysis of Tumour Response In compleX microenvironments (MATRIX) that will improve the ability to investigate why some cancers resist treatment and spread to other organs. | |
| $1.8 million | NSW | University of Sydney | To establish the ACRF Single Cell Cancer Proteomics Laboratory (SCPL), a national platform that enables researchers to unlock insights into how individual cancer and immune cells behave and respond to treatment. |