Through the philanthropic support of our donor community, and in partnership with the Cabrini Foundation, Cabrini Research has been able to hold an internal grant round each year since 2015. These have proven vital in enabling our researchers to progress their work closer to clinical adoption, expediting access to interventions of tangible benefit to patient outcomes and quality of life.

This year, seven grants were distributed across a range of projects, reflecting the diversity of research currently being pursued at Cabrini. Of these, Associate Professor Weranja Ranasinghe (Urology) has been awarded the Auric Innovation Grant, made possible by Mrs Lee and Mr Brian Johnstone. Through this funding, Professor Ranasinghe will aim to develop novel methods that target the regulatory pathways responsible for PSMA expression. Doing so will expand eligibility for radioligand therapy, providing new therapeutic opportunities for patients with prostate cancer

In addition to this, six Cabrini Foundation Grants have been awarded, two in cancer and four in general research categories. These will allow:

• Dr Dilys Leung (Medical Oncology) to map gene expressions at the single-cell level through spatial transcriptomics, defining the drivers behind breast cancer growth;
• Dr Eva Zopf (Medical Oncology) to conduct exercise trials for melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy, evaluating their impact on clinical outcomes;
• Professor Peter Kistler (Cardiology) to investigate the benefits of structured yoga programs as a non-pharmacological, non-invasive complementary intervention for atrial fibrillation;
• Professor Philip Russo (Nursing) to implement and evaluate a novel algorithm designed to identify patients developing surgical site infections;
• James Sherwood (Allied Health) to implement a new clinical care pathway for low back pain management that is aligned with national standards; and
• Associate Professor Alexandr Voskoboinik (Cardiology) to examine the impact catheter ablation procedures have on sexual function.

Cabrini Research would like to congratulate all awardees of this year’s internal grants round and looks forward to their future contributions in improving models of care in their respective fields.

Caption: Associate Professor Weranja Ranasinghe will aim to expand access to radioligand therapy for prostate cancer patients through support from the Auric Innovation Grant.