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The Cause

BOX RALLIES (SHITBOX RALLY & MYSTERY BOX RALLY) 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 patients real-time response to a new immunotherapy


MYSTERY BOX RALLY IS AN ANNUAL 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 Mystery Box Rally & Shitbox Rally teams are directly funding improvements in diagnosis,
treatment and support for cancer patients.


WHERE HAS IT COME FROM?

Mystery Box Rally is brought to you by the same people that organise and run Shitbox Rally. We initially launched Mystery Box Rally for teams that wanted to get into Shitbox, but due to the waitlist had not been offered a place. With nine Mystery Box Rallies already completed it is evident that Mystery Box Rally is a great and unique event in its own right and it is gaining popularity every year.

Mystery Box Rally remains a great launch pad for Shitbox. It is similar, but requires less effort in both the fundraising requirements and overall distance of the route.

James’ Mum and Dad both died from cancer within 12 months of each other. The rallies are dedicated to their memory.

 

In loving memory of Mum (Sue) and Dad (John).