Cancer does not discriminate between species. Approximately 1 in 4 dogs, 1 in 3 cats, and as many as 1 in 2 humans will develop cancer during their lifetime.
We know that tumour biology, development and prognosis can be remarkably similar between humans and animals for certain types of cancer.
This and other factors, such as humans and companion animals living in the same environment and many sharing similar lifestyles, opens up huge opportunities for cross-disciplinary knowledge sharing and learning between human and animal researchers and clinicians in cancer research.
We believe the integration of ‘natural’ or ‘spontaneous’ disease data from companion animals into clinical development programmes has the potential to accelerate clinical and drug development research for ALL species.
This is why we have launched our very first One Medicine Cancer Discovery Fund, with the aim of creating collaborative multi-disciplinary partnerships and projects that can change the landscape of cancer research.
The Fund, which is up to £250,000 for a single project, is designed to harness spontaneous disease and encourage collaborative projects that can go on to:
- Improve cancer diagnosis and understanding of cancer disease biology
- Develop new cancer treatments or improve existing treatments
- Improve quality of life for humans and animals with cancer
Applications will be assessed by a 2-stage process. Firstly, Expressions of Interest are invited to be submitted by 5pm on 29 December 2024. Successful applicants will then be invited to submit a full application, which will be assessed by our esteemed Science Committee, made up of leading academics, human and veterinary nurses, doctors, vets and consultants from around the world.
Application guidance can be found here.
Expression of Interest (EOI) Form
Cancer Discovery Fund Guidance Document
To discuss your application prior to submission, please email iva@humanimaltrust.org.uk