Research we fund

PA Research Foundation’s donor directed funding model allows us to work closer with the community, our donors and partners to support life-saving-research across several funding areas of skin cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, other health and other cancers including bladder Cancer and head and neck cancer. 

This funding focus has allowed us to go back to our roots of funding new, innovative projects with emphasis on translating research into improved patient care. This includes for the first time the funding of four novel research projects in emergency medicine.

Outside of continued commitments to research into breast cancer, prostate cancer bladder cancer, head and neck cancer and skin cancer, we are currently funding a number of studies into cancer and other serious health conditions which include:

• A randomised control trial into the effects of cannabidiol on schizophrenia patients who are not responding to common treatments such as aripiprazole, risperidone and clozapine.
• An implementation study on the right care, in the right place and time which aims to increase detection rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among people with type 2 diabetes.
• Research looking at the effectiveness of immunotherapies in treating squamous cell carcinoma skin cancers, with the aim of increasing the number of patients who will respond.
• Research into the personalisation of treatment of patients with a form of head and neck cancer that develops at the back of the throat known as oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. This research uses high resolution technology to map patient tumours and explore personalisation of immunotherapies to reduce the burden of the traditional approach.
• A study that will deliver group exercise to cancer patients via telehealth which will potentially reduce the cost burden on patients and the health system while also improving patient quality of life.
• A project which utilises artificial intelligence to help predict the response of skin cancer patients to checkpoint blockade therapy.