Australian Cancer Research Foundation Celebrates 40 Years of Backing Brilliant Cancer Research

Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) is celebrating its milestone 40th anniversary of backing bold, brave and brilliant cancer research. Since 1984, ACRF has awarded 86 grants totalling over $184 million to 44 Australian research institutions pursuing new and improved ways to prevent, detect and treat all types of cancer.  

ACRF funding has provided researchers with cutting-edge equipment and technology that has led to groundbreaking world-first discoveries. Some of the most notable include: 

• The development of the HPV Cervical Cancer Vaccine 
  ACRF gave initial seed funding to Professor Ian Frazer’s research into the cervical cancer (HPV) vaccine. Over 150 million doses of the vaccine have since been delivered worldwide.  

• Foundational support for the national ZERO Childhood Cancer Program 
  Zero Childhood Cancer is the most comprehensive precision medicine program for children and young people with cancer in the world. ACRF has proudly supported Children’s Cancer Insititute with almost $11million to progress many of their innovations that fuel this program.  

• The discovery of new breast cancer genes
  ACRF has provided three grants, totalling $8.4 million to QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute which led to a team of researchers discovering at least 12 new genes that influence the risk of developing breast cancer. 

• A blood test that detects early stages of cancer 
  ACRF provided $5.5 million in funding to The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute where researchers developed a blood test that can detect the presence of eight common cancers. The test has been shown to reliably detect early-stage and curable cancers. 

Whilst significant progress has been made over the past 40 years, cancer is still a leading cause of death in Australia. 444 Australians are diagnosed with cancer every day, and 135 lives are lost from this devasting disease each day. ACRF’s mission is to support the very best scientific research across all types of cancers, including rare cancers.  

Carly Du Toit, GM Fundraising and Marketing, said ACRF’s work is far from over. 

“For 40 years, ACRF has been funding bold and innovative cancer research, which has resulted in lifesaving scientific breakthroughs. But our work is far from done. Until survival rates from cancer are closer to 100%, we have more work to fund, more research to back,” Carly said. 

To mark this significant milestone, ACRF is launching a first-of-its-kind living art exhibition, entitled ‘Time to Live: A Terminal Exhibition’. A woman named Emily Lahey living with terminal cancer will be auctioning off minutes of her precious remaining time to strangers. The hope is the idea can get people to understand the importance of research, not as a technical and scientific thing, but more as an opportunity and gateway for us to get more time with those we love by stopping cancer in its tracks. 

Emily Lahey was diagnosed with NUT Carcinoma, a rare, aggressive cancer with an average prognosis of just six to nine months. As visitors of Time to Live spend time with Emily, an imposing projection of a timer will count down from three minutes. This profound and fleeting encounter offers a unique opportunity to grasp the emotional and psychological weight of living with or being connected to someone with a terminal diagnosis.