In late May of this year, the University of South Australia and the Flinders Foundation will be joining forces with Tour de Cure to raise vital funds for game-changing cancer research, support and prevention projects that will bring our dream of a world without cancer closer to reality.

A number of dedicated cyclists, including some of our own cancer researchers, will visit the pristine wilderness of Kangaroo Island in May to ride over 300kms in 3 days, experiencing some wonderful communities and a challenging ride on the 2019 SA Discovery Tour.

The passionate team aims to raise over $300,000 to fund four major South Australian cancer research projects through Flinders Foundation and UniSA, as well as three $10,000 local cancer grants.

UniSA ovarian cancer researcher, Professor Peter Hoffmann will be riding as part of Team UniSA, and is part of the impressive, dedicated contingent of researchers at the university committed to finding a cure for cancer.

100% of donations from the SA Discovery Tour will go towards funding these worthy research projects at each institution.

As Strand Leader for Biomaterials Engineering and Nanomedicine in the UniSA Future Industries Institute, Professor Hoffmann is developing an early detection test for ovarian cancer. The test offers a chance to improve the survival rates for the more than 1,500 women diagnosed each year in Australia.

“Ovarian cancer is a rare but often deadly disease as it has thus far proven extremely difficult to identify and treat early,” says Professor Peter Hoffmann, an internationally recognised expert in the study of proteins and the discovery of biomarkers for early disease detection in cancer.

“If ovarian cancer is detected early it can often be cured. Unfortunately for many women diagnosed with the disease, it is only detected once it has spread through the abdominal cavity and has become very difficult to treat.

“We have identified a number of autoantibodies produced by the immune system at the early stage of ovarian cancer that offer high accuracy as a biomarker test for detecting early-stage ovarian cancer.

“This research resulted from almost a decade of collaborative research with Professor Martin Oehler at the Royal Adelaide Hospital that included validating our autoantibody test on 320 ovarian cancer patient samples and the results are very promising.

“We are in the process of validating a promising new early detection test for ovarian cancer to improve the chance of survival for women with this disease by finding it early.”

Since 2007, Tour de Cure has staged a number of tours and in the process raised more than $40 million, funded 322 cancer projects, achieved 24 significant cancer breakthroughs, and helped to raise awareness about cancer prevention to more than 100,000 school children across Australia.

Now, Tour de Cure Co-Founder and Director of Development, Geoff Coombes, is eager to ride one of Australia’s most beautiful scenic routes and attractions – all for a very worthy cause.

“We’re excited to be visiting the pristine wilderness of Kangaroo Island, the abundance of wildlife, and its stunning beaches. We’ll get the chance to share our message with the local community and inspire them to make healthy lifestyle choices,” he says.

“We’d love to get as many people participating in this tour as possible, both riders and support crew. Visiting Kangaroo Island is a bucket list item for many people and seeing it by bike will be an experience of a lifetime.”

For more ionformation visit: https://tourdecure.com.au/tours/sa-discovery-tour/