Health care is undergoing transformation like never before, and philanthropy is essential to driving that transformation. More than ever, generous supporters have the power to help turn promising research and medical breakthroughs that give patients the highest possibility of a cure.
If you are in a position to fund a clinical trial, purchase a piece of specialised equipment or a key resource in its entirety, please contact our CEO, Meg Croucher .A gift of this type will allow us to immediately improve patient care and outcomes. There is a critical need for investment in the future of health care.
Our Priority Needs are initiatives, trials and equipment that are urgently needed.
Urgent Priority Needs
We urgently need your help to meet priority needs in a number of key WARPNINE programs, including:
i-GOLSTA
Clinical Trial
Project Overview
A safety and feasibility study of LSTA-1 in combination with immunotherapy molecules and FOLFIRNOX for first-line treatment of unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic gastro-oesophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma.
Impact and Aims
The iGOLSTA trial will provide WA patients with access to a new and innovative treatment that could change the landscape of gastro-oesophageal cancer treatment and prognosis. Data from iGOLSTA has the potential to lead to more extensive trials, which may change the current standard of care treatment for these cancers AND increase the potential for immunotherapy in gastro-oesophageal cancer.
i-BOXOFFICE
Clinical Trial
Project Overview
This is a safety, tolerability and feasibility study of NALIRIFOX (nal-Irinotecan, fluorouracil, folinic acid and oxaliplatin) in combination with durvalumab and LSTA1.
Biliary cancers are rare, with an incidence rate in Australia of 3/100,000. Biliary cancers can be subdivided into cancers of the gallbladder or cancers of the biliary tract, also known as cholangiocarcinoma. Cholangiocarcinoma can be further subdivided into intrahepatic cancers – arising from bile ducts in the liver, or extrahepatic cancers - arising from bile ducts outside the liver.
In patients who are diagnosed with early-stage disease, surgical resection is the curative treatment option. Unfortunately, biliary cancers are often diagnosed late due to their insidious presentation, and surgical resection is often not an option. Until 2010 there was no established standard of chemotherapy for patients with advanced biliary cancer.
Despite the advances made to date in treatment options, survival rates remain poor. We hope to build on the success of earlier trials with the aim of proving the safety of NALIRIFOX with LSTA1 and durvalumab, with the long-term goal of improving survival rates for patients with advanced biliary cancer.
Impact and Aims
Biliary cancer is an aggressive disease with poor survival outcomes as they are often diagnosed late, progress rapidly and have early metastases. The current standard of care treatment for patients with advanced biliary cancer provides only a modest benefit.
Through this trial, we aim to improve overall survival, improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with biliary cancer.
AI WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY - phase two
Translational Research
Project Overview
Development of a Digital Oncology System (DOS)
Based on clinical data from hospital systems, and the data collected in phase one of the AI Wearable Tech trial, it is proposed that a Digital Oncology System (DOS) will be developed.
The aim and significance of the DOS:
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To identify and alert those patients who need urgent care, reducing patient risk
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Provide clinical support to nursing and other staff, enabling them to focus on different aspects of patient care
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Provide alerts related to abnormal vital signs and predict disease complications
We anticipate that this project will help to generate new knowledge, expedite the discovery and development of new and novel applications, and ultimately enhance oncology patient care and outcomes.
WARPNINE Fellowship Fund
WARPNINE’s mission is to address the inequity in treatment options and survival rates for pancreatic, gastro-intestinal and rare cancers and build on Western Australia’s best-in-the-world outcomes for patients diagnosed with these often-fatal diseases. We also seek to ensure that the life-changing work currently being driven by leading Western Australian Oncologists, Surgeons and specialists continues.
To do this, it is imperative to provide future leaders and visionaries with supportive pathways and unique opportunities to learn and develop their skills.
The WARPNINE Fellowship Fund will build Western Australia’s research and innovation capacity by providing the best and brightest emerging students with research training and career opportunities. Vetted individuals will be offered the chance to learn and work alongside current leaders in gastro-intestinal and rare cancer research and treatment.
With your support, we can provide emerging leaders with the independence and time needed to build their research aptitude while being supported and mentored. The WARPNINE Fellowship will also provide opportunities for recipients to hone their skills, bedside manner and establish vital leadership experience, all of which are essential to improving patient care and outcomes.
Aims of a WARPNINE Fellowship:
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To attract and keep emerging research leaders that show the potential to drive, manage, and influence the next generation of health and medical innovation.
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To expedite high-quality research into innovative and novel therapies to improve patient care and outcomes.
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Promote research into underfunded and under-research malignancies.
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To build on Western Australia’s best-in-the-world outcomes for gastro-intestinal and rare cancers and improve patient survival.
Expected Benefits of the Fellowship
A WARPNINE Fellowship aims to benefit all persons suffering from gastro-intestinal and rare cancers by providing unique education and training opportunities to develop the next generation of translational research physician-scientists in these fields. Fellowships give individuals the confidence, insights, and motivation to expand or extend their work in niche areas of medicine. This is incredibly important in helping to address the inequity in research for rare and gastro-intestinal cancers and improving treatment options and patient outcomes.