Alexandria, Va., Jan. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Prevent Cancer Foundation® announces funding for four global grants supporting innovative cancer prevention and early detection projects in Mexico, Cameroon, Nigeria and Zambia. The 2024 Global Innovation Grants intend to reduce global health disparities by funding novel and impactful projects in cancer prevention, screening and vaccination in low- and middle-income countries. Each project will receive a $95,000, one-year grant award.
“From training the country’s first breast radiologists in Zambia and testing AI-supported breast cancer diagnosis in Nigeria to implementing novel approaches for addressing cervical cancer in Cameroon and Mexico, the Prevent Cancer Foundation is proud to support the 2024 Global Innovation Grants as we dare to imagine a world where cancer is preventable, detectable and beatable for all.” said Jody Hoyos, CEO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
These global innovation grants are made possible by Awesome Games Done Quick, an annual livestreamed video game marathon organized by Games Done Quick to raise funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
Organization: Basic Health International
Project Location: Mexico
Title: Evaluating an HPV Tandem Test for Cervical Cancer Screening and Genotyping Triage
Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality among women in Mexico. This project will develop and implement a training curriculum for low-cost, self-collected human papillomavirus (HPV) sampling and will provide treatment for those at high risk in an under-screened population. The successful completion of this project will provide a streamlined cervical cancer prevention strategy that minimizes overtreatment and loss to follow-up.
Organization: Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services
Project Location: Cameroon
Title: From Mother-Daughter to Mother-Child Approach: A Strategy for Scaling Up HPV Vaccination in Cameroon
This project will address cervical cancer in three urban, medically underserved neighborhoods in Cameroon by screening women ages 30 and over for cervical cancer and vaccinating their children against HPV. Expanding on a prior Foundation-funded project focused on mothers and daughters, this program will vaccinate both girls and boys against HPV, with the goal of preventing more HPV-related cancers. If successful, the mother-child model has the potential to be replicated in other countries where HPV vaccination hesitancy and misinformation are major concerns.
Organization: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Project Location: Nigeria
Title: Artificial Intelligence Decision Support for Timely Breast Cancer Diagnosis in Nigeria
Compared to forty years ago, Nigeria has experienced a threefold increase in breast cancer incidence. This project will train Nigerian radiologists to use a tablet-based mobile breast ultrasound with AI support for timely diagnosis of breast cancer, to bridge the gap of limited diagnostic imaging in the country. AI accuracy will be assessed to determine its future use for breast cancer diagnosis in low-resource communities worldwide.
Organization: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Project Location: Zambia
Title: A Collaborative Breast Radiology Training Model for Early Breast Cancer Detection in Zambia
There are no formally trained breast radiologists in Zambia, and two-thirds of breast cancer diagnoses in the country occur at late stages, when treatment may be less effective. This project aims to improve breast cancer detection and survival in Zambia by using a novel international collaborative training model to train the country’s first specialized breast radiologists.
For more information on the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Global Innovation Grants, visit www.preventcancer.org/programs/our-global-reach/global-grants/.
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About the Prevent Cancer Foundation®
The Prevent Cancer Foundation® is the only U.S.-based nonprofit organization solely dedicated to cancer prevention and early detection. Through research, education, outreach and advocacy, we have helped countless people avoid a cancer diagnosis or detect their cancer early enough to be successfully treated. We are driven by a vision of a world where cancer is preventable, detectable and beatable for all.
The Foundation is rising to meet the challenge of reducing cancer deaths by 40% by 2035. To achieve this, we are committed to investing $20 million for innovative technologies to detect cancer early and advance multi-cancer screening, $10 million to expand cancer screening and vaccination access to medically underserved communities, and $10 million to educate the public about screening and vaccination options.
For more information, please visit www.preventcancer.org.
