ANNOUNCEMENT NEW PROGRAM: Geriatric Oncology Therapy Optimization Program (GoTo Program)

December 9, 2020

Together with our partners in Gateway for Cancer Research, we are delighted to announce the approval of a clinical research program in therapy optimization for the geriatric population with funds of USD 2M.  Despite the challenges of COVID-19 throughout 2020, the team at the Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research (RTFCCR) worked tirelessly with twelve world-renowned geriatric oncology experts to assess the evidence gaps and identify funding needs for clinical trials that align with the mission and values of Rising Tide.

The goal of the program is to bring together experts in the field to address a central research question, across 5 cancer areas, including generic, breast, prostate, hematological and lung, with the aim of making a significant impact on patient lives in less than 5 years.

1. Central research question: there is a critical unmet need to create a simple and efficient assessment tool based upon the scientific evidence obtained from appropriate and representative clinical trials to identify the best treatment options for the geriatric population.
2. Expected outcome: a joint publication to show how evidence-based assessments can be used to formulate treatments across different cancer types will have a bigger impact for the PIs and add more value to the field.

Applications are invited from consortia of researchers, consisting of 5 PIs, one for each topic and one of whom is the program leader.  Since geriatric oncology is a specialist area, where the pool of clinical researchers is small, PIs are encouraged to come from different institutions.  This is to ensure that the best minds are working together to generate the biggest impact for the geriatric population.

The total budget for the clinical research aspect of the program is USD 2M (5 x USD 400,000), with an additional budget of USD 50,000 for program administration.  Matched funding of USD 400,000 from each PI for each topic is required to start the program.  Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the team at grants@risingtide.ch for further information.

The call opens for LOI applications on ProposalCENTRAL on January 17, 2021, when application forms can be downloaded after this date.  Please do not hesitate to contact us with your immediate thoughts or questions.