Tour de Cure annually selects and funds cancer projects in the following areas:

  • Research projects focused to help find a cure
  • Support projects for those suffering with the journey of cancer
  • Prevention projects that are focused on education and awareness of communities

 

Find out more about Tour de Cure's Annual 'Research, Support and Prevention Project' Selection Process

Read about Tour de Cure's supported projects from previous years (PDF)

 

Tour de Cure's 2013 Research, Support and Prevention Projects

Over the past seven years Tour de Cure has funded 89 Research, Support and Prevention Projects for men, women and children totalling over $8 million. 

Throughout the course of Tour de Cure 2013 financial year, we will fundraise in order to donate funding to the following Research, Support and Prevention Projects for men, women and children. We thank the collaborative efforts of our team along with Corporate Australia and all communities who enabled these projects to be funded.

In addition to these 14 Research, Support and Prevention (RSP) projects is the work Tour de Cure does with local communities and beneficiaries to fund small, but vital, local community RSP projects across our Signature Tour, Country Tours and our ‘Inspire Your Community’ Ride Day. These Research, Support and Prevention Project details are shared with our team, they receive their donation at our Community Celebration dinners or lunches with all details being communicated after our financial year (June 30), via our website and captured in our Board’s Annual Celebration Letter.

We are proud to share the cancer Research, Support and Prevention Projects we will help to fund in 2013. These projects are in no specific order and the managing beneficiaries are detailed in brackets after each project.

 

Eight Research Projects - to help find a cure 

  1. TEAM (Treat Exercise & Analyse Melanoma) The goal of TEAM is to identify the biomarkers which are related to the development of resistance in each patient’s melanoma. This involves tumour biopsy & peripheral blood sampling after a single dose before treatment begins & then at defined time points.  (Melanoma Institute Australia)

  2. Optimising response to treatment in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia fellowship of Dr Chuck Bailey’s and consumables - under Professor John Rasko (RPAH – Cure the Future)

  3. The involvement of the Kynurenine Pathway in Glioma Pathogenesis – Dr Charlie Teo (Cure for Life)

  4. Understanding the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in Colorectal Cancer (CRC). Investigating the different subtypes of CRC, both hereditary and sporadic, that can be identified through molecular and histopathological characterisation of CRC tumours and their pre-malignant lesions (polyps). At Queensland Institute of Medical Research- Dr Daniel Buchanan (Cure Cancer Australia)

  5. Using molecular detection of minimal residual disease to improve outcomes for children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia – Professor Michelle Haber and Professor Glenn Marshall (Children’s Cancer Institute Australia and the Sydney Children’s Hospital)
  6. Preventing ovarian cancer deaths- the most lethal gynaecological malignancy. Blood based testing to diagnose women with early stage ovarian cancer. Currently there is no screening in place and early detection allows for significant reduction in this lethal cancer. Dr Goli Samimi (Garvan Institute of Medical Research)
  7. For devastating brain tumours (glioblastoma multiforme) Use of genetically-modified bone marrow cells to allow specific chemotherapy to be applied more intensively. Collaboration Dr John Rasco, Dr Charlie Teo. (RPAH – Cure the Future) (Cure for Life)
  8. Perpetual research grant. In conjunction with Foundation of Surgery and Tour de Cure. Details under discussion.


Three Support Projects– supporting those suffering with the journey of cancer 

  1. Patient and Carer ‘Specialist Conferences’ to educate, and provide information, networks as well as creating positivity and hope. Presented by medical specialists in each state. (Leukaemia Foundation)

  2. Tracey Scone Wig Library for Cancer patients (Arrow Foundation)
  3. Brain Tumour Nurse (Elizabeth Bland) who provides information, co-ordination,  social worker support services and medical understanding of treatment regimes to over 300 children and their families per year (Nelune Foundation)  


Three Prevention Projects – focused on education and awareness of communities 

  1. Expert researchers, who are experts in the field of gene activity, will use plants to produce cancer-protective molecules and deliver them to animal models, as the first step in a program that aims to create a novel nutriceutical (something that we eat) that will deliver cancer-preventing molecules into the blood stream through bowel absorption (Flinders Medical Centre Foundation)
  2. International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium (Multiple countries involving over 1 million children in this study) to find a preventable cause of childhood cancer (Murdoch Children’s Research Institute)

  3. 'Stickman Rules' Cancer Awareness Packs and 'What I Wish I Knew About Cancer' Books and educating and raising cancer awareness in men, women and children, across community Australia (Tour de Cure)

 

Tour de Cure’s Annual ‘Research, Support and Prevention Project’ Selection Process 

  • Tour de Cure conducts an annual ‘Research, Support and Prevention Project Tender’ where beneficiaries submit project funding requests to our Board. We ensure all applications abide by our Trust Deed and we work with an Independent Research Project Advisory Committee (IRPAC) to help us in our review of the submissions. In 2013 we had 56 Research, Support and Prevention projects submitted totalling over $6.5million. While we would like to fund all proposed projects we respect we are not able too. Hence the Tour de Cure Board, guided by our project assessment parameters, values and IRPAC’s reviews, select Tour de Cure’s Research, Support and Prevention projects targeted for funding for that year. 


  • Tour de Cure’s board annually in October confirm each Research, Support and Prevention Projects donated funding. We are aware of the beneficiary’s project funding request and work diligently to effectively and fairly distribute our available funds. This does mean in some instances that the project cannot be funded 100% by Tour de Cure. All beneficiaries are aware of this. In the event Tour de Cure has had a very successful year and our nominated projects receive our targeted donations the Tour de Cure Board select additional projects to fund. 


  • Tour de Cure’s local community RSP projects are selected by Tour de Cure’s management and are endorsed by Tour de Cure’s Board.

  • Tour de Cure captures all details of annual projects funded in our Board’s Annual Celebration Letter. 


  • Tour de Cure produces an annual Charity Audit which also details, on top of required fundraising and organisation financials, our funded project and beneficiaries whom receive / are to receive funding.


  • Please contact Jim Hollier (jim@tourdecure.com.au) if you have any questions regarding our Research, Support and Prevention Projects, our Charity’s Audit or the Tour de Cure Board.