BOX RALLIES FUND OUTSTANDING CANCER RESEARCH PROJECTS NATIONALLY.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the pinnacle for vital funding for groundbreaking cancer research projects, but their budget only goes so far. The cancer researchers who miss out get another chance at funding via Cancer Council grants. The impact of these projects has been felt right across Australia with many of the grants made possible by Box Rallies funding.
For the first time, Box Rallies funds the next highest ranked grants after the NHMRC. This means that Box Rallies will fund some of the most exciting cancer research projects across the country – with the highest potential to significantly impact those affected by cancer.
2021/2022 net Box Rallies funds were allocated to 2023 research grants. This has meant Cancer Council could allocate funds to the 6 highest ranked grants with $2.68m net revenue.
Here are some examples of multi-state research funded by Box Rallies:
2023 RESEARCH GRANTS
FY 2021/2022
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research VIC (Assoc Prof Joanna Groom) – $450,000: Immune Therapy – Leveraging stem-like memory T cells for effective anti-cancer mRNA vaccines
Children’s Cancer Institute NSW (Prof Maria Kavallaris) – $445,719: Childhood cancer – Engineering childhood cancer for precision medicine
Flinders University SA (Assoc Prof Luke Selth) – $444,186: Prostate cancer – Harnessing androgen-mediated viral mimicry to improve immunotherapy in prostate cancer
Children’s Cancer Institute NSW (Dr Klaartje Somers) – $450,000: Paediatric cancers – Advancing CAR-T cell therapy for extracranial solid paediatric cancers
Macquarie University NSW (Dr Seong Beom Ahn) – $449,861: Colorectal cancer – Protein Biosignatures for Predicting Recurrence of Stage II Colorectal Cancer
The Garvan Institute of Medical Research NSW (Assoc Prof Marina Pajic) – $450,000: Pancreatic cancer – Selective manipulation of tumour-stroma signalling as a novel precision medicine approach: targeting treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer
2022 RESEARCH GRANTS
FY 2020/2021
University of Melbourne (Associate Professor Michael Griffin) – $443,055: Pancreatic and colorectal – A new therapeutic opportunity for gastrointestinal cancers
University of Melbourne (Associate Professor Daniel Buchanan) – $447,752: Colorectal – Linking gut bacteria to the development of early onset colorectal cancer using multi-omic profiling
The University of Adelaide (Professor Lisa Butler) – $433,228: Prostate cancer – A patient-derived discovery platform for companion biomarker development in prostate cancer
University of Western Australia (Associate Professor Pilar Blancafort) – $449,356: Breast cancer – Identification and targeting of a new subtype of oestrogen receptor breast positive breast cancer
University of Sydney (Dr Jenny Yingzi Wang) – $450,000: Acute myeloid leukaemia – Developing a novel targeted therapy for treating chemotherapy-resistant leukaemia
2021 RESEARCH GRANTS
FY 2019/2020
Garvan Institute of Medical Research NSW (Dr Robert Weatheritt) – $448,283: Breast – switching off the spread of triple-negative breast cancer
University of Technology Sydney NSW (Dr Doan Trang Nguyen) – $449,316: Using artificial intelligence to enhance radiotherapy effectiveness
Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research & University of Western Australia WA (Prof Peter Leedman) – $450,00: Liver – finding new ways to treat liver cancer
University of Queensland QLD (Prof Gabrielle Belz) – $382,148: Melanoma – finding new treatment targets for advanced melanoma
University of Melbourne VIC (Dr Michelle Peate) – $434,639: Improving the health and well-being of women cancer survivors
Centenary Institute NSW (Dr Jessamy Tiffen) – $447,725: Melanoma – reversing treatment resistance in melanoma
2020 RESEARCH GRANTS
FY 2018/2019
University of Newcastle NSW (Prof Xu Dong Zhang) – $445,185: Colorectal – a new treatment approach for bowel cancer
Telethon Kids Institute WA (Dr Nicholas Gottardo) – $197,432: Brain – developing less toxic treatment approaches for childhood brain cancer
Centenary Institute NSW (Prof Geoffrey McCaughan) – $450,00: Liver – using combination therapies to treat liver cancer
Garvan Institute of Medical Research NSW (Dr Joanna Achinger-Kawecka) – $434,310: Breast – reversing treatment resistance in ER+ breast cancer
Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research VIC (Dr Lorraine O’Reilly) – $450,000: Stomach – identifying the drivers of stomach cancer to find more effective treatments
Garvan Institute of Medical Research NSW (Dr Michelle McDonald) – $447,548: Myeloma – preventing the outgrowth of cancers that spread to the bone
Centenary Institute NSW (Prof John Rasko AO) – $448,850: Mesothelioma – monitoring a patient’s real-time response to a new immunotherapy
LUNCHBOX RALLY IS AN EVENT DEDICATED TO RAISING MUCH NEEDED FUNDS TO SUPPORT CANCER RESEARCH. BY GETTING OUT AND DOING SOMETHING UNIQUE, POSITIVE AND PROACTIVE, IT BRINGS AN ELEMENT OF FUN AND EXCITEMENT TO THE TASK OF RAISING MONEY TO CURE THIS HEARTBREAKING DISEASE.
Our Impact
The funds raised go towards cancer research, but how do they get to the researchers? What is the process?
Read on to discover how Lunchbox Rally teams are directly funding improvements in diagnosis,
treatment and support for cancer patients.
How did LUNCHBOX Rally come into existence?
Lunchbox Rally is brought to you by the same people that organise and run Shitbox Rally and Mystery Box Rally.
For years kids around Australia have only heard the many rally stories from those adults lucky enough to have taken part. We launched Lunchbox Rally as very unique opportunity for kids to see outback Australia in a safe, friendly and community environment. It is formatted the same as Shitbox Rally with a few kid friendly differences such as less nights, less kilometres and kid friendly entertainment in the evenings.
James’ Mum and Dad both died from cancer within 12 months of each other. The rallies are dedicated to their memory.