Love Your Sister is bringing a different approach to cancer treatment to our region and Forbes locals are showing their support.
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Samuel Johnson OAM shared his vision to fund Precision Medicine in the central west - in partnership with Macquarie University in Dubbo - at a Forbes Business Chamber breakfast where he called on businesses to back the program for the next three years.
Mr Johnson, a Gold Logie winning actor who launched his cancer-fighting fundraising efforts with a $1.5 million unicycle ride around Australia, said he'd gone to scientists and researchers to ask what they needed.
"They said 'we need precision medicine', they all said the same thing," he said at the Forbes breakfast.
Precision medicine involves testing treatments on a patient's cancer in the laboratory, rather than giving the person a three-month course of one medication at a time, he explained.
It's an incredibly personal mission for Johnson, who shared about his late sister Connie's cancer treatment.
The two founded Love Your Sister together in 2012, she passed away in 2017.
"My sister's first line of medication failed, her second line of medication failed, her third line of medication failed, and on her fourth line of medication - after nearly a year - we found Xeloda and it worked," he said.
"But it was too late: the cancer was in her liver, lungs, spine, pelvis, spleen, it had spread by then.
"Precision medicine can put the cancer patient on the right drug first time every time."
Love Your Sister's $1.2 million grant to Macquarie University will allow them to deliver a three-year precision medicine trial through the Oncology Department at Dubbo Hospital, with satellite hubs in Mudgee, Bourke, Brewarrina and Coonabarabran.
Macquarie is collaborating on the project with the Oncology Department at Dubbo Hospital, led by Dr Florian Honeyball, as well as the newly formed Western NSW Clinical Trial Support Unit and NSW Health.
Macquarie University's Professor Gurney says he's thrilled to be starting with Dubbo.
"ONTRAC aims to not only bring cutting-edge options for cancer treatment to our most vulnerable populations, but also to establish fully equipped clinical trial units in regional healthcare centres and train local people in clinical trials delivery to staff them," Professor Gurney said.
"By doing this we hope to increase the number of regional, rural, remote and Aboriginal patients taking part in clinical trials, while also minimising the need for them to travel in order to participate."
Love Your Sister works with the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre (OMICO) and Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
The pilot model will bringing international standard clinical trials to to regional, rural and remote locations, and pave the way for other areas.
It will be designed, evaluated and documented so that it can be used by any trial unit within Australia and extended to non-cancer indications.
"It's research as well - it's research and it's treatment," Mr Johnson said.
He's calling on regional businesses to keep the program going for three years, launching "Sam's 1000" and calling for commitments from $12.50 a week upwards.
Love Your Sister famously raised $2.57 million in 5c coins and Mr Johnson said funding precision medicine could be a similar exercise in the power of collectivity - if enough people give a little, it will add up.
He pledged to the Forbes donors that every cent would go to cancer: he raises funds to run the charity separately.
Go online to loveyoursister.org to find out more and to get started.
