ECU researchers have been awarded funding for their research into prostate cancer.
Researchers from ECU's Exercise Medicine Research Institute (EMRI) have been awarded two of the sixteen international grants for 2024 from the World Cancer Research Fund International’s Grant programme.
ECU Professor Daniel Galvão and his team, which includes EMRI’s early career researcher Dr Oliver Schumacher have been awarded $534,961 for the Institute's research on the ERADICATE exercise trial.
The project aims to improve tumour perfusion alongside radiotherapy for prostate cancer patients to enhance treatment efficacy.
"We are very thankful to World Cancer Research Fund International for supporting our team to investigate whether targeted exercise can improve the response to radiotherapy by inducing short- and long-term changes in tumour blood flow and oxygen levels," Professor Galvao said.
"Our team recently found that acute exercise approximately tripled tumour blood flow, but it is unknown if this effect translates to increased tumour oxygen levels and whether chronic exercise can normalise tumour blood vessels, which would facilitate tumour blood flow and potentially further enhance the effectiveness of radiotherapy in patients with prostate cancer.
"The impact of this study can be substantial. For example, demonstrating that exercise can modulate tumour blood flow and oxygen levels would highlight the utility of exercise medicine as an adjunct therapy that can enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment. We are very excited to test these possibilities."
EMRI's Professor Robert Newton and EMRI postdoctoral research fellow, Dr Jin-Soo Kim were also awarded $177,156 their MYEX trial for patients with prostate cancer.
Professor Newton and Dr Kim are examining a key tumour suppressive mechanism described in their previous work involving skeletal muscle-produced molecules (myokines) and small membranous particles (extracellular vesicles) and the effects of exercise driving these cancer suppressive pathways in patients with prostate cancer.
Specifically, the EMRI team will examine the differential effects of varying exercise mode and dosage.
"We are grateful to the World Cancer Research Fund International for supporting our team to investigate signaling molecules called myokines which are released from muscle as a result of exercise to have direct suppression effects on cancer cells as well as mediating the immune system for more effective detection and destruction of cancer cells," Professor Rob Newton said.
"With the knowledge gained we will prove that exercise is truly a medicine and an important therapy in overall cancer management."
Only five of the sixteen grants from the World Cancer Research Fund were awarded to Australian researchers, with the remaining going to researchers in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the UK.
Early Career Investigator Grant – Cancer Council WA
EMRI Post Doctoral Research Fellow Dr Jin-Soo Kim has been awarded an Early Career Investigator Grant from the Cancer Council WA.
The $34,500 funding has been awarded to support his research into how prostate cancer stage and treatment interact with body composition to impact blood factors influencing cancer survival.
Dr Kim is aiming to investigate a key mechanism by which the body controls the growth of prostate cancer and the interaction with disease stage, treatment and body composition.
"This research can help to explain a major biological reason for the survival advantages exhibited by physically active patients as well as inform more optimal exercise prescriptions tailored to the individual," Dr Kim said.
