The ECRFM allocates \u20ac1.3 million to Cancer Research<\/p>"},"content":{"rendered":"
by Marianna de\u2019 Micheli
Friday July 24th 2020\u00a0is definitely a day to remember for the\u00a0Maltese cancer research sector.<\/p>
The\u00a0Emanuele Cancer Research Foundation Malta, allocated circa1.3 million to fund two research projects to be performed in a cutting-edge laboratory that has just been installed in University of Malta.<\/p>
Her Excellency Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, President Emeritus of Malta and Chair of the ECRFM opened the press conference held at University of Malta: \u201cI would like to welcome you to this important moment in the history of cancer research in Malta,<\/p>
whereby the possibilities to enhance this important activity at the University of Malta, through Maltese Researchers and their International Collaborators, will increase, as of today, by another nearly 1.3 million euros.\u201d<\/p>
One of the projects, led by\u00a0Prof. Josianne Vassallo\u00a0and\u00a0Dr David Saliba, focuses on\u00a0mapping the immune landscape to assess immunotherapy strategies to treat pituitary neuroendocrine tumours.<\/p>
The pituitary is often referred to as the body\u2019s master gland since it releases hormones in the bloodstream that regulate important functions such as metabolism, growth and reproduction. Pituitary tumours are common and can occur in up to\u00a020% of people in Malta, with 18 to 20 patients undergoing complex surgery each year.<\/p>
The other project, coordinated by\u00a0Prof. Godfrey Grech, will utilise\u00a0innovative methods to classify colorectal cancer patients into groups of clinical relevance\u00a0and to optimise sensitive and precise\u00a0tests to predict early metastatic disease. It is expected to provide a better understanding of the different subtypes of colorectal cancer, explore new insights to explain the mechanisms involved in the progression of the disease and study the efficacy of specific therapeutics on cellular models that originate from the different types of cancers identified in the study.\u00a0<\/p>
Prof. Emmanuele F.M. Emanuele, Chair of Fondazione Terzo Pilastro Internazionale and ECRFM\u2019s vice President, said: \u201cI am delighted to announce the inception of these important research projects promoted by the Emanuele Cancer Research Foundation of Malta, which are being funded through a massive donation, unmatched in Malta to date. These two state-of- the -art projects, led by teams who excel in this field, represent another significant step taken by the ECRFM towards its goal to defeat this terrible disease, which obviously concerns not only Malta and the Mediterranean region but affect the fields of prevention and cure all over the world.\u201d<\/p>
The ECRFM is the result of a partnership between the Malta Trust Foundation, the\u00a0University of Malta and Fondazione Terzo Pilastro Internazionale, which has allocated a total of 2.5 million to these projects and the laboratories.<\/p>
\u201cProf. Emmanuele Emanuele, is one of the greatest Italian Philanthropist of all times and has dedicated and is still dedicating his energies and financial resources to Italian Cancer Research and\u00a0philanthropy - highlighted\u00a0Her Excellency Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, who warmly thanked the Chairman for his extraordinary generosity\u00a0- He is also a believer of cultural and transcultural development.\u201d<\/p>
The ECRFM\u2019s Call, published last winter was highly welcomed at the University, as the Foundation has received 10 extremely worthy applications to choose from.<\/p>
In selecting the two winning teams, the ECRFM established an International Reviewing Board, composed of experts in the field from some of the Research Institutes with which the Foundation has signed a MOU:<\/p>
MEBIC Inter-University Consortium (Medical and Experimental Bio Imaging Centre in Rome;\nThe Sharett Institute of Oncology in Israel;\nThe Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies of the University of Palermo;\nThe Shanghai Dongfang Hospital in China.\nThe Rector Alfred J. Vella\u00a0said the University hoped the research teams succeeded in collaborating together to establish a core group with the necessary critical mass to be able to take part not only in other calls launched by the Foundation, but also\u00a0European\u00a0and\u00a0International calls for proposals. \u201cIt was a great pleasure to see such a considerable number of applications for the Foundation\u2019s first call. We hope these teams will produce excellent scientific results.\u201d<\/p>
\u201cIn the near future\u00a0\u2013 added\u00a0Her Excellency\u00a0\u2013\u00a0we will be announcing another call for cancer research projects.\u00a0 Although all applications were eligible, I must wistfully say that the nearly 1.3 m euros were taken up by only two projects. I hope we will soon have the opportunity to make room for more projects in the important field of clinical research.\u201d<\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
di Marianna de? Micheli Venerdì 24 luglio 2020 è senza dubbio una data da ricordare per il settore della ricerca sul Cancro a Malta. L?Emanuele Cancer Research Foundation Malta ha stanziato circa 1,3 milioni per finanziare due progetti di ricerca, la cui attività si svolgerà in un laboratorio all?avanguardia appena installato all?interno dell?Università di Malta….<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n