Research into some of the world’s rarest forms of cancer and disease have received a boost, with the Australian government announcing 27 grant recipients under the 2021 Rare Cancers, Rare Diseases and Unmet Need (RCRDUN) grant opportunity.

The grants have been awarded to 27 projects through the grant opportunity, which aims to increase clinical trial activity in Australia for rare cancers and rare disease by supporting new, high quality research.

To name a few, $1,515,180 has been granted to the University of New South Wales to trial combination precision guided therapies for high risk childhood cancer, based on each child’s individual tumour profile. This can support better targeted treatments based on precision medicine for children with the most aggressive cancers.

$2,970,301 to Monash University is for a study that will test whether a structured radiology report can improve the accuracy of reporting of CT scans in pancreatic cancer, to help doctors distinguish patients who should receive chemotherapy before surgery versus surgery alone, to optimise care. Identifying the most effective treatment for patients as quickly as possible will support improved outcomes from this devastating cancer.