Priority Needs

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-GO
Clinical Trial

A new treatment approach for metastatic gastro-oesophageal cancer

Gastro-oesophageal cancers remain some of the toughest to treat. For many people diagnosed in the metastatic setting, current options can be limited and often come with significant side effects.

The iGO Trial is exploring a new treatment combination that has shown encouraging early signals in international studies — aiming to improve response and offer patients better outcomes.

What the Trial Is Testing

The iGO trial is evaluating a new drug combination in the metastatic setting, comparing it to the current standard of care.

The approach brings together:

A new investigational drug combination informed by emerging global evidence
The current standard treatment, allowing direct comparison
Advanced translational research, including studies of the tumour microenvironment and microbiome, to better understand why some patients respond differently

The goal is simple: to see whether this new combination can achieve stronger responses while remaining tolerable for patients.

Why This Matters

Metastatic oesophageal and gastro-oesophageal cancers are often diagnosed late and can be highly resistant to treatment. For many people:

responses to standard therapy may be short-lived
side effects can limit what treatment they can receive
there are very few new options in development

The iGO trial is designed to:

Test a potentially more effective combination therapy
Provide clearer insights into which patients may benefit most
Generate translational data that could guide future trials and treatment strategies
Expand access to innovative therapies across WA, ensuring patients in both public and private systems can participate

Progress to Date

Thanks to early philanthropic investment and strong clinical partnerships:

Trial design has been advanced in collaboration with leading national experts
A focus on the metastatic arm has been prioritised based on emerging data
Pre-clinical and early international signals suggest the new combination may significantly enhance treatment response compared with standard care
Planning is underway across participating WA sites, with governance processes progressing
Integrated biological studies are being developed to investigate factors that may influence treatment response

This work is happening because of WA’s growing leadership in GI cancer research — and the commitment of supporters who believe in pushing the field forward.

Next Steps

Final governance and regulatory approvals underway
Site activations expected across WA
Patient enrolment to commence following approvals
Ongoing biological and translational studies to run alongside the clinical trial

How Support Helps

Your support accelerates this work — enabling trial activation, site setup, and the translational research that turns clinical observations into future treatment breakthroughs.

“This trial is about giving patients more options, stronger responses, and real hope for better outcomes.”

— Meg Croucher, CEO

Supportive Care Trials

Shaping cancer care beyond the tumour

At WARPNINE, we’re not just tackling cancer — we’re changing the experience of treatment itself. Two new clinical trials are preparing to launch, each designed to prevent some of the most common and debilitating side effects of chemotherapy.

These aren’t hypothetical fixes. They’re practical, patient-first interventions we can trial now — with your support.

PECAN Trial

Preventing Nerve Damage from Chemotherapy

Up to 70% of patients receiving common chemotherapies experience peripheral neuropathy — burning, numbness, balance issues that can last for years. There is currently no approved way to prevent it.

The PECAN trial will test whether palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), a natural compound with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, can prevent this nerve damage when given from the start of treatment.

40-patient, placebo-controlled study
Targets patients receiving oxaliplatin or taxane-based chemotherapy
Measures nerve damage, pain, mood, function, and inflammation markers

Why it matters
If successful, PECAN could offer a safe, affordable way to protect thousands of patients from long-term harm — preserving mobility, independence, and quality of life.

PREDICT Trial

Modernising Nausea Control

To manage chemo-induced nausea, most patients receive dexamethasone — effective, but tied to long-term risks like insomnia, mood swings, blood sugar issues, and immune suppression.

The PREDICT trial will test whether a dual-steroid approach (prednisolone + hydrocortisone) can provide the same relief with fewer side effects.

40-patient crossover study
Each participant receives both regimens across two chemo cycles
Measures nausea control, hormonal effects, and patient preference

Why it matters
PREDICT could help reduce the burden of treatment itself — replacing a widely used standard with a safer, smarter option.

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:

To attract and keep emerging research leaders that show the potential to drive, manage, and influence the next generation of health and medical innovation.
To expedite high-quality research into innovative and novel therapies to improve patient care and outcomes.
Promote research into underfunded and under-research malignancies.
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.