The 13^th annual QLD Corporate Games will finish with a bang this evening after a weekend of sporting enthusiasm, friendly competition, and of course, cancer fundraising for the ACRF.

As the Games’ official charity, the ACRF is delighted to be attending the Corporate Games Cocktail party tonight (and speaking more personally with the many staff and company representatives now that they’ve hung up their runners and football boots).

The QLD Corporate Games was a fantastic success! The ACRF would like to congratulate Walt Hiltner and Ellen Goff for such seamless organisation and for generating a fantastic community spirit. We also thank the Queensland government and the other major sponsors Canon, Marriot Brisbane, 4BC Radio, Scody and OKI.

It was a pleasure to visit the sporting grounds at the University of Queensland over the weekend (a location in which we are particularly proud to have two ACRF-funded cancer research facilities) and watch the 5000 staff from the finance, mining, retail, tourism and government sectors going head-to-head for their health, fitness, and a fantastic cause.

Queensland is one particular Australian State where cancer researchers punch well above their weight on an international level, and the ACRF is proud to have provided $14 million to support the work of these world-class cancer researchers.

The ACRF has recently closed its 2012 grant application rounds where, out of 12 submissions, 6 of these came from Queensland. It is an indication of the quality and rate at which researchers in Queensland are working to find the treatments and cures for cancer.

To make one final donation to the Corporate Games, please click here.

The ACRF would like to thank Shelley Pratt, director and designer of SHELLTER Maternity Wear, for fighting cancer through her Organic Thoughts and Action maternity clothing range.

SHELLTER is donating $10 from every Organic Thoughts t-shirt and $20 from every Organic Actions dress to world-class cancer research during the months of May and June.

Shelley’s involvement in cancer fundraising reflects a wider trend of corporate and company involvement in the cancer charity sector, and we’re thrilled to have her support.

“I believe the ACRF and their mission runs parallel with SHELLTER’s philosophy including sustainability, ethics and supporting small businesses hoping for big and positive changes for the future,” she told us.

Shelley’s passion for design and fashion was inspired by her Nanna, Ruth who taught her to sew, design and paint as a little girl.  Losing her nanna to bowel cancer at only 62 years old, gave Shelley the passion and determination to fight cancer through research.

The ACRF is fully privately funded, and receives no government funding to provide vital funds to Australian cancer research centres.

It is only through our fantastic supporters, like Shelley, that we are able to achieve our mission of funding research in Australia with the power to beat cancer in the hope of ensuring a cancer-free future.

From all of the team at ACRF we would like to wish SHELLTER the best of luck for their campaign!

The ACRF is thrilled to have received 12 applications for world-class cancer research after submissions for ACRF grants in 2012 closed last Friday.

Together, the applications represent a need for $41.7 million in cutting-edge technologies and/or capital works for the development of high-tech facilities and collaborative initiatives. It is a strong indication of how important it is for the ACRF and other bodies to continue funding research that has the potential to make significant break-throughs in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Six applications have been received from Brisbane, with two each in Sydney and Melbourne, and then one more in each of Adelaide and Perth. The scope of works is truly impressive, and it’s fantastic to see the research expertise within so many Australian states represented in this mix.

The ACRF will now look to its esteemed Medical Research Advisory Committee (MRAC) to recommend the most outstanding cancer research proposals for ACRF funding support. Please click here to know more about our MRAC.

ACRF is committed to funding research with the power to beat cancer. A shortlist of applicants will be announced on June 1^st, and from there, the MRAC will commence interviews and site visits of each facility.

The ACRF will announce its final grant awardees in November 2012.

A new study has found that a particular gene is being switched off in the cancerous cells of up to 15% of pancreatic cancers.

New drugs are already being tested to turn the gene back on, thereby working to stop the spread of cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and lethal types of cancer, and this discovery paves the way towards a new class of drugs which target this gene, thus treating some types of pancreatic cancer much more effectively.

The study was published in the journal ‘Nature’ following research which revealed that when the gene Usp9x was ‘switched off’ in mice, cells started to grow out of control. It has been called a ‘brake gene’ because it seems to have a key role in natural cell death.

Prof David Tuveson, from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, said: “We suspected that the fault wasn’t in the genetic code at all, but in the chemical tags on the surface of the DNA that switch genes on and off, and by running more lab tests we were able to confirm this.

“Drugs which strip away these tags are already showing promise in lung cancer and this study suggests they could also be effective.”

Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information manager has said: “These results raise the possibility that a class of promising new cancer drugs may be effective at treating some pancreatic cancers.

ACRF is delighted to see that a number of research centres we’ve funded are affiliates of this pancreatic cancer research, including the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland.

Researchers have already started testing drugs in the search for potential gene-triggers, which will activate the silent gene and therefore work to stop the spread of cancerous cells.

 References:

• Image source: www.bbc.co.uk
• Cancer Research UK website www.cancerresearchuk.org 

Late last year, a group called Metal for Cancer released a new digital single called ‘Lets Unite in Rock’ featuring an all-star cast exclusively written and produced by Henrik Flyman to raise funds for cancer research.

Cancer is a disease that touches people from all walks of life and the heavy metal community is no exception. Many Hard Rock and Heavy Metal legends have sadly lost their battle to this devastating disease.

The song starts off with a riff which pays homage to the late Ronnie James Dio and lyrically uses typical heavy metal imagery describing the heavy metal community uniting to defeat cancer which in the song is portrayed as ‘the beast’.

Metal for Cancer are doing their part in fighting cancer. They are contributing to cancer fundraising by asking people to spend a couple of dollars to purchase their song. They are then donating 100% of their proceeds to the ACRF.

You can purchase the song from itunes or by visiting www.metalforcancer.com. To keep up to date with the wonderful work this group are doing, click here to join the 2,500 people already following them on Facebook.

Big thanks to all those involved in Metal for Cancer and for your generous support of cancer research!

THE BAND:

Henrik Flyman – guitar (Evil Masquerade)

Peter Wildoer – drums (James LaBrie, Darkane, Arch Enemy)

Thor Jeppesen – bass (Evil Masquerade)

Artur Meinild – keyboard (Evil Masquerade)

SINGERS:

Mats Leven (Therion, Yngwie Malmsteen)

Snowy Shaw (Therion, Mercyful Fate, Dream Evil)

Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica, Northern Kings)

Apollo Papathanasio (Evil Masquerade, Firewind, Spiritual Beggars)

Tony Mills (TNT, Shy)

Silvio Massaro (Vanishing Point)

Richard Ofsoski (Ofsoski, Sedition)

Henrik Flyman (Evil Masquerade)

Lance King (Avian, Pyramaze)

Dagfinn Joensen (Fate)

LEAD GUITARISTS:

Glen Drover (Megadeth, Testament, Eidolon)

Henrik Flyman (Evil Masquerade)

Stu Marshall (Empires Of Eden)

MIXED AND MASTERED BY:

Jacob Hansen

Hansen Studios

COMPOSED AND PRODUCED BY:

Henrik Flyman

COVER ARTIST:

Barbara Ahearn

VIDEO:

Thomas Trane

Crazy Trane Productions

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, which means many of us are working overtime to think of creative but meaningful gift ideas.

Many ACRF supporters choose to give donations in lieu of gifts on special days such as Mother’s Day through the ACRF’s ‘In Celebration’ giving program, and we are truly grateful for their support.

Donations in lieu of gifts help to make an incredible difference to our work in cancer research. Every donation dollar we receive (100%) funds world-class research into all types of cancer.

Wouldn’t a world without cancer be the greatest gift of all this Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day can be a very difficult time for those who have lost their Mothers through cancer, or for Mothers who have experienced their own heartache.

We are very grateful to have supporters who choose to mark special occasions such as Mother’s Day by sending regular charity donations in memory of their Mother.

Dr Alison Green from Brisbane generously shared her Mothers’ story with us through our survey, explaining why she chose to make a monthly donation to ACRF.

“My mother Jean died of a Glioblastoma in June 2011, aged 73. She had a history of breast cancer and also a history of melanoma. I am aware through my work as a doctor that research in one area can have benefits for other cancers, as well as hope for improvement in survival with quality of life for patients. It is for that reason and also in memory of my Mother that I am a regular donor.”

Click here if you would like to give your Mum a donation in lieu of a gift this Mother’s Day

Please click here, or on the image (right), to read our top stories on cancer research, cancer fundraising around Australia, and ACRF news for the month of April.

This edition features an international study which could redefine the way breast cancer is diagnosed and treated, an 11 year old’s mission to shave her head for cancer research, and ideas to replace your Mother’s Day gift with a donation to cancer research!

Please contact us if you’re not on our email distribution list and would like to receive these monthly news installments via email.

Researchers from the UK have “re-written the rulebook” * on breast cancer research with what is being called a ‘landmark’ study.

They have reclassified the disease into ten categories, where formerly it was understood there were four, based on the genetic fingerprints of breast cancer tumours from 2,000 women in the UK and Canada.

The implications of this study are significant: Women with breast cancer can now be identified as having a more specific disease – one of ten under the breast cancer “umbrella” – and their prognosis, and subsequent treatment options will be better defined as a result.

“The next stage is to discover how tumours in each subgroup behave – for example do they grow or spread quickly?” said study co-lead Professor Carlos Caldas.

“And we need to carry out more research in the laboratory and in patients to confirm the most effective treatment plan for each of the ten subtypes of breast cancer.”

Australia’s own Professor Jane Visvader, leading breast cancer researcher from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne has said “These findings are a major step forward in the field. The discovery of more specific subgroups of breast cancer holds great promise for identifying better drug targets and tailoring therapy to improve outcomes for breast cancer patients.”

Outside of trials for new cancer drugs, this finding could take up to five years to have a positive impact on breast cancer patients.

The study has been published in acclaimed scientific journal  Nature.

*For more information, please see Cancer Research UK’s press release.

Picture: New recruits, Jim Stynes and Sean Wight in 1988. Photo File Source: Herald Sun

When Sean Wight and Jim Stynes came to Australia as part of the “Irish Experiment” (Wight himself was Scotland-born) the legacy they would leave for AFL, for friendship, and for cancer patients around Australia could not have been guessed at.

Sean Wight was one of the first AFL players recruited to the Melbourne club as part of the “Irish Experiment”: a push to bring Gaelic footballers Down Under in the 1980s to try their hand at the Australian game. Jim Stynes, another budding young Gaelic Footballer also came to Australia as part of this program.

Wight and Stynes became two of the most famous players in this era of Australian football and even after retiring from the game, the pair made their lives in Australia.

Sadly however, both of these athletes followed the same path through a battle with cancer. They were both diagnosed in their 40s, and after a brave fight, they passed away within a few months of each other.

When Wight was undergoing treatment, family and friends held a cancer fundraising event last year. Part of the proceeds were dedicated to supporting Wight and his family through their medical expenses, but the ACRF was also humbled to recently receive the rest of the proceeds. A generous $10,000 from the money raised will thus go towards world-class cancer research and will leave a lasting legacy in Sean’s name.

“We had a night at the Bentleigh Club for Sean and it was a great night. It was a reflection of the thing that underpins the strength of our game, and that’s relationships from staff, players, supporters or key stakeholders.” said General Manager of Melbourne Football Club, Chris Connolly.

“In the end, it became a big event, which sold out very smartly. I reckon we could’ve filled the place up five times over if that was what needed to occur. It was a pretty full-on night.”

Diane Lynch, who was the main organiser of the event and a close friend of Sean’s, said “I had an idea about a fund raiser and I soon started planning. I was very quickly amazed at the support and the willingness of so many people.”

“As we arrived [at the Bentleigh Club], Sean asked me to stop as he could hear Jimmy Stynes speaking to the audience. When Jim finished speaking about Sean, we entered the room to a standing ovation. The room was heaving with love and the atmosphere was so emotional with well over 350 people standing and clapping for Sean.”

“Sean never expected that there would be so much support and love for him. Melbourne Football Club were fantastic supporting the event and helping in many different ways. I was overwhelmed!”

This Sunday the 22nd of April, is The Jim Stynes Tribute Game which will be held at the MCG. It provides a chance for all Victorians to gather in celebration of his contributions to football and the greater community.

The ACRF is saddened to hear of the recent passing of Australian swimming legend, Murray Rose, following his battle with Leukaemia.

Rose is best known for winning back-to-back gold medals in the 1956 (Melbourne) and 1960 (Rome) Olympics 400m swim – an achievement replicated only by Ian Thorpe. He was an inspiration to Australian swimming, taking six Olympic medals (four Gold) in just these two Olympic games.

Rose’s in-the-pool performances inspired many modern-day Australian swimmers and their personal tributes to him have been heartwarming. He also was wonderfully community-minded and also inspired others out of the pool. We at the ACRF would like to take this opportunity to pass on our deepest sympathies to his family, peers and the Australian swimming community.

If you would like to make a memorial gift or donation in memory of Murray Rose, please click here.