research 2022 background

Research Update | May 2022

Clinical Trials in Focus: Cancer Trials Ireland

2022 marked the start of a new funding model for the cancer trials community in Ireland, thanks to a restructured grant funding model from the HRB. For the first time, Cancer Trials Ireland will be receiving multi-annual funding over five years, as the recipient of the HRB Cancer Clinical Trials Network Grant.

The multi-annual funding allows for longer-term portfolio planning, and also gives Cancer Trials Ireland a greater latitude on the choice of trials to support. In further good news, the Irish Cancer Society doubled the funding for Cancer Trials Ireland last year, following the phenomenal success of their Daffodil Day in 2021. Such is the dynamic nature of health research funding – organisations must be flexible in how they operate to accommodate all fluctuations, positive and challenging.

In the case of both the HRB and the Irish Cancer Society, the goal is to fund Investigator-Led Trials (ILTs) – which is to say trials led by doctors that seek to answer important, useful scientific questions for cancer without the need to satisfy a commercial imperative. In terms of Cancer Trials Ireland’s capacity to open ILTs, they are confident that the organisation has the capacity to open at least one Investigator-Led Trial every year, along with 4-5 collaborative groups trials, some of which Cancer Trials Ireland might sponsor. Cancer Trials Ireland strongly encourage investigators to work with colleagues and mentors to develop research ideas, and protocols.

As we all know too well, developing good research questions and well designed, peer-reviewed protocols is not a quick process, typically taking a year or more. The time to start working on your proposals is right now. Trials are of course inherently risky – and trial design is a risk factor within that sphere. That is why, thanks to the input of clinical leaders from the Cancer Trials Ireland Disease-Specific Sub-Groups (DSSG), the focus of the upcoming Cancer Trials Ireland Cancer Retreat (May 20th) will be on patient accrual, and the factors influencing them.

At the highest level, the way Ireland can increase patient recruitment to trials is by increasing the health system’s capacity to run them. That is a question Cancer Trials Ireland will be discussing at the Retreat with the Director of the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme, and two senior academics from ‘Host Institutions’ i.e. academic partners mandated to Cancer Trials Ireland (RCSI) and the Cancer Groups around Ireland (in this case, TCD & St James’s Hospital).

The next panel discussion at the Retreat will be taking a much closer look at the trials that were a success over the past 12+ months, including CLL17 (haematology study), PACE-C (radiotherapy study), and the portfolio of MSD genitourinary studies. Then they will look to the future, and take the example how the DSSG Lung Lead has designed a portfolio of trials to serve the needs of Irish patients.

If you would like to attend these panel discussions, which fall in the Retreat’s first session, you will need to become a member of Cancer Trials Ireland. Non-member, and members of the public are welcome to attend the second session of the Retreat from 11.20am on, but only members can attend Session 1 – go here to apply for membership. Session 2 of the Cancer Retreat (registration here) will focus on the new Molecular Tumour Board, the new Cancer Trials Ireland Start-Up unit, and finally Public & Patient Involvement (PPI).

On the PPI front more widely, Cancer Trials Ireland recently took on a fulltime PPI co-ordinator, Caroline Oates, thanks to funding from the Irish Cancer Society and the HRB. Cancer Trials Ireland are very excited to have her on board, as are the members of the Patient Consultants’ Committee, for whom Caroline will co-ordinate and execute a range of projects.

Caroline has a wealth of experience in cancer clinical trials.  In 2006, she set up the first trials unit in Derry, on behalf of the NHS Western Trust, in order to provide local patients with trial access outside of Belfast.  When Caroline left the trials unit in 2013 (to take over management of the chemotherapy unit in Derry) the trials unit had opened 14 trials across breast, lung, GI, and GU cancers, accruing more than 100 patients in that time.

The future of cancer clinical trials is exciting – please join Cancer Trials Ireland to reflect on it at the Cancer Retreat on May 20th. The full list of contributors, panel titles and other information is available on the registration page. For any updates, check the website or follow Cancer Trials Ireland on Twitter (@Cancertrials_ie).

Social Science, Nursing and Allied Health Summer Students announcement

The Irish Cancer Society are delighted to announce that it has awarded Diana Cooke and Sara Finnie the SNAH Summer Studentship Award 2022.

Diana Cooke, NUI Galway

 

My name is Diana Cooke, I am a psychology student at NUI Galway. Under the supervision of Ms. Nikolett Warner and Professor AnnMarie Groarke, I will investigate the impact of social supports, anxiety, and depression on quality of life and coping mechanisms in individuals with hereditary cancer predispositions. The psychological impacts of cancer can be detrimental, however, is an aspect often forgotten about resulting in limited research.

I applied for this studentship in hope to emphasise the levels of anxiety and depression faced but also to highlight ways they can be reduced so they can be properly addressed. Like many others, cancer has had a significant impact on my life.

I recently underwent investigation for cancer, the process was long, extremely frightening, and mentally draining and I was provided no guidance on maintain mental health from medical professionals.

From conversations with family members who had undergone treatment it was clear there were negative psychological impacts at all stages of cancer a lack of support and guidance on how to deal with such a daunting experience. Individuals with hereditary cancer predispositions are faced with constant fear of an increased risk of developing cancer and passing this risk to their children too.

This long-term psychological impact can prove extremely challenging and result in dire consequences. I was interested in this topic as despite an obvious problem in this cohort, there is a deficit in national health support schemes and research, and I would like to contribute to addressing strategies to help. I hope this studentship will further develop my research skills by creating my own study and gaining research experience as in the future I would like to work as a health researcher, specifically in the psycho-oncology field.

I hope my work can contribute and help support the work of the Irish Cancer Society in highlighting the impact anxiety and depression can have. I also hope my research can specifically emphasise the importance of social supports in producing a high quality of life which may result in promotion of communication within the family and formation of further specialised support groups.

Sara Finnie, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

 

My name is Sara Finnie, I am a 3rd year Physiotherapy undergraduate student from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. I will be conducting a project at St. Francis Hospice, under the supervision of Dr Ailish Malone along with clinical collaborators Lisa McGirr and Fiona Cahill and academic collaborator Helen Heery, titled ‘Physiotherapy for people with advanced cancer in specialist palliative care: Is everyone getting the opportunity to benefit?’.

I applied for the Irish Cancer Society studentship programme as I have a keen interest in improving the quality of life of cancer patients, particularly people with advanced disease.

Clinical Trials Catalyst Award

A key priority in the Irish Cancer Society strategy 2020-2025 is ensuring that Irish patients benefit from world-class cancer research and expertise. In line with this, the Society seeks to work in partnership with the medical community to create an environment where pioneering cancer research can take place with the ultimate goal of generating more cancer clinical trials and encouraging greater patient accrual to clinical trials across Ireland.

As part of this this commitment, the Irish Cancer Society wishes to invite eligible clinical researchers in oncology-related fields to submit an application for the Clinical Trials Catalyst Award 2022.

The absence of protected time and funding for healthcare professional’s involvement in clinical research is recognised as a significant impediment to the sustained evolution of high quality Irish cancer research. Therefore, the Clinical Trials Catalyst Award 2022 is to provide an injection of funding to drive Irish clinical cancer research and trials.

Applications are expected to open on Wednesday 18th May 2022.

Cancer Research Networking Awards 2022- Round B

The Irish Cancer Society Cancer Research Networking Awards offers cancer researchers the opportunity to establish and strengthen collaborations and relationships with national and international cancer researchers. This programme will give researchers the opportunity to learn about up-to-date cancer research, network and collaborate, and to gain experience in research dissemination.

The aim of this award is to contribute towards the cost of networking initiatives, training activities, or the development of collaborations or partnerships (attend or host a workshop, conference, training or any other networking activity) which will help stimulate, develop, and build capacity in the cancer research community. These awards are intended to support motivated individuals who would not otherwise be able to undertake these activities.

There are two funding strands available: one for researchers from a translational cancer research background and one for researchers from a social, nursing, and allied health sciences background.

Applicants can apply for funding up a maximum of €2000. The number of awards made will be dependent on number of applications received and total budget requested in each. Each applicant may only submit one application per round.

Round A for this award is closed now and Round B will open to applications on Wednesday, 01st June 2022.

The relevant guidance documents will be made available on our website for eligibility criteria and for more information.

Patient Advocate in Cancer Research Champion Award

The purpose of the Patient Advocate in Cancer Research Champion 2022 is to provide funding to support cancer advocates in championing cancer research on a national or international level. Applicants for the award must be able to show that receiving funding will be of benefit to not only their own development but will also have an impact on the wider cancer research PPI community in Ireland.

At the Irish Cancer Society, we recognise the value of having patient experts and people who are affected by cancer involved at every stage the research funding process. These cancer advocates play very important roles and are instrumental in improving the lives of those affected by cancer by advising on what types of cancer research will benefit those who are affected by cancer.

Therefore, the purpose of this award is to provide advocates in cancer research with funding to enhance their skills and training or to support them in cancer research PPI opportunities across Ireland.

You do not need to be a member of the Irish Cancer Society PPI Panel to apply for this award. This call is open to all cancer research advocates in Ireland.

Please see the relevant guidance documents on our website for eligibility criteria and for more information.

Call opens Thursday 2nd June 2022.

The deadline for all applications is 3.00pm, Thursday 28th July 2022. Applications are accessible through the online grant management system https://grants.cancer.ie.

Please ensure that you are using the correct application that is relevant to the specific field of your research.

Cancer Nurse Research Training Fund - Deadline Extended

Cancer nurses are foundational health care professionals, essential to the delivery of care and improvements in quality of life for people affected by cancer. As an evidence-based practice, nursing requires research for continual improvements in care and allows practitioners the opportunity to advance their field and stay updated on best practice.

The Cancer Nurse Training Award provides funding for nurses to pursue research training opportunities at a pre-doctoral level. The aim of this award is to encourage more nurses to engage in research and in doing so, expedite the improvements in care that comes from having a research-active workforce.

Extended Application deadline: 7 June 2022 @ 3.00pm

Information into Evidence for Action Award - Upcoming Award

Decades of research has led to the development of evidence-based and effective interventions that have the potential to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality of cancer. However, a substantial gap exists between the evidence-informed interventions and their real-world integration into the healthcare system. This disparity has led to people affected by cancer from being able to benefit from some of the opportunities for improved outcome that might be possible if research was put into their experience of treatment and care.  

Understanding the need to effectively integrate cancer interventions into the Irish health system and in keeping with its key priority to identify, research, and evaluate new approaches to increase the impact of the existing cancer knowledge-base, the Irish Cancer Society is looking forward to launching the “Information into Evidence for Action Award 2022” in June this year.

It is estimated that on an average it takes 17-years for evidence-based interventions to be incorporated into routine practice. Typically, either the research efforts conclude once the efficacy of an intervention is identified or the interventions are not strategically planned for more efficient integration into routine care at a system level.

Through the Information into Evidence for Action Award, the Irish Cancer Society aims to help bridge this gap, in keeping with our priority to “innovate and inform through exceptional research”. The results of this study are expected to feed into our goal to improve care, quality and outcome of cancer patients

Through this award, the Society aims to provide funding to evaluate and identify how an evidence-informed cancer intervention/service can be most effectively introduced into the Irish Health System. We welcome applications proposing any methodology that will result in achieving the outcomes of the project, for example, an actions research, mixed methods research etc. Eligible applications should be seeking to provide a foundation for integration of an intervention/service into routine care. The development phases of the intervention should be complete or near completion. The award will not fund any phase of developing an intervention.

Outcome of the project:

  • To identify barriers and enablers of cancer interventions implementation in the Irish public health system
  • To identify all stakeholders and key decision makers integral to the effective implementation of cancer interventions in the Irish public health system
  • To generate an evidence-based procedure for implementing a cancer intervention in Irish public healthcare settings
  • To generate a series of recommendations and learning from the study

The estimated project timeline must be between 12-18 months and a single award of up to €50,000 is anticipated. The intervention/service may focus on a specific cancer type or be more general in focus e.g. children’s, adult, or geriatric cancers etc.

Additionally, proposals may focus on various public service settings e.g. hospital, community services, acute oncology services, etc.

Applications are expected to open in June 2022.

Public Bowel Cancer Research Webinar

On 14th April, Dr Sudipto Das, StAR Research Lecturer and Principal Investigator at the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin (RCSI) and Rebecca O'Brien, PhD Researcher at the Trinity St James's Cancer Research Institute joined us for a public cancer research webinar.

Dr. Das’s talk focussed on 'Developing a new therapeutic option for treatment of bowel cancer' and Rebecca O'Brien talked about 'Can immune proteins be used to better understand how patients with bowel cancer will respond to treatment?'

The webinar can be found here: https://youtu.be/kcdhmS897Eg

EU Missions Info Days

There will be Horizon Europe information days on Missions on the 17th- 18th May, please see the link below. The Cancer Mission session will be held at 10.30 CET on 17th May. The event will provide potential applicants with specific information on the new Missions’ Work Programme calls, funding opportunities and timelines. There will also be an opportunity to hear about the call to create a European Social Innovation Catalyst Fund to advance EU Mission objectives across the board.

The 2022 calls will launch in May with a total budget €129.56 million and a closing date in September 2022. Topics include Improving & Upscaling primary prevention of cancer through implementation research, Pragmatic clinical trials to optimise treatment for patients, Strengthen Comprehensive Cancer Infrastructures, Towards the creation of a European Cancer Patient Digital Centre and Creation of National Mission Hubs Supporting the Mission on Cancer. The 2023 calls will have a possible closing date of Spring 2023.

Sign Up for EU Missions Info Days

Lymphoma Research Study – Call for Participants

Nurse researchers at Trinity College Dublin are looking for individuals diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in Ireland to take part in an online survey.

Want more information? Please see link below to access the information leaflet.

Lymphoma Reseach Study

@School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin

@Trinity Centre for Practice and Healthcare Innovation (TCPHI)

#lymphoma #cancerresearch #cancersurvivor

Dates for the diary

Contact the Irish Cancer Society Support Line

If you have worries or concerns about cancer, you can speak confidentially to an Irish Cancer Society Cancer Nurse through the Freephone Support Line on 1800 200 700.

Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm

Roz, Cancer Nurseline

For more information

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1800 200 700

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