A study involving 15,000 Australians which aims to develop a next-generation, standardised diagnosis for melanoma is one of 30 clinical trials and cohort studies to be funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s $74 million investment to find better ways to prevent, detect and treat disease.
The $3.2 million melanoma cohort study, led by Associate Professor Victoria Mar from Monash University and Alfred Health, will be the first in the world to document on such a large scale the whole skin surface of participants with histopathology images and other patient details.
Underpinning the study is the world class infrastructure supplied through a major grant from the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) to establish the Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis (ACEMID).
This national network of interconnected 3D imaging systems is a collaboration of The University of Queensland, University of Sydney and Monash University, is building the capacity game changing research in the early detection of melanoma.
In the official NHMRC announcement, the Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said the trial would help to discover more effective diagnosis options thousands of Australians who are tested for skin cancer each year.
“Skin cancer costs the Australian healthcare system more than $1 billion annually. Australia has the highest rate of melanoma, the deadliest form, for which there is currently no standardised diagnosis,” Minister Hunt said.
“This study will use cutting-edge, total-body 3D imaging machines across metropolitan and regional Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, with the research team working to develop next-generation diagnostic and prognostic algorithms for early detection of melanoma and skin cancer.”
“Clinical trials and cohort studies are crucial sources of evidence for the improvement of health and healthcare. Each of these projects has the potential to improve health outcomes here in Australia and across the globe.”
A full list of grant recipients is below and available on NHMRC’s website: www.nhmrc.gov.au.
If you would like to participate in this study, please sign up here.