NEWS The SPRINTR study, led by Region Västerbotten and Umeå University, is to receive 12 million kronor in government funding to further develop its national research platform in precision medicine. The initiative aims to facilitate clinical cancer research, enable the approach to be scaled up to cover more types of cancer, and provide patients across the country with faster access to molecular diagnostics.
Under the same government decision, which concerns initiatives in precision health and clinical trials, Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS) and Biobank Sweden will also receive funding.
SPRINTR (Swedish Precision Medicine Initiative for Novel Treatment and Research) is a research project, one of the aims of which is to facilitate clinical cancer research. A key part of the work involves asking all patients being investigated for suspected prostate cancer whether they would like to take part in an observational study. The procedure is simple and designed to be used nationwide. During the year, at least 23 clinics, including all university hospitals, are expected to start enrolling patients.
The Government has now decided to allocate 12 million kronor to the project through the National Board of Health and Welfare. The funds will be used to develop scalable working methods and IT solutions so that the concept can be rolled out across Sweden and adapted to more types of cancer.
Andreas Josefsson
ImageMattias Pettersson“We are very grateful for this support, which is specifically targeted at the elements and structures we are developing. Thanks to this, we can work both faster and on a broader scale with colleagues across the country to make this accessible to as many people as possible,” says Andreas Josefsson, a medical specialist at Norrland University Hospital, who is the principal investigator for the study.
The SPRINTR research project is largely funded by the Sjöberg Foundation. The aim of the study is to identify better biomarkers that can predict prognosis and treatment response, as well as to assess health economics and quality of life. The biomarkers can range from MRI scans and digital pathology to molecular analyses of tissue samples taken as part of routine clinical practice.
“I am convinced that this research will provide answers to important clinical questions and lead to better and more personalised treatment for men with prostate cancer,” says Andreas Josefsson.
The involvement of several diagnostic clinics across the country creates a long-term, national research platform. The study is planned to run for at least thirty years and aims to foster an open research environment where researchers can use the data without the requirement of co-authorship by the principal investigator. The goal is to work together to conduct better research in order to improve care for men with prostate cancer.
The study is also establishing a so-called ‘study-ready population’, which can simplify and increase inclusion in clinical trials. This is made possible by the consent form including permission for the collected information to be used for targeted invitations. One of the study’s aims is for the structures to be applicable to other forms of cancer as well. Therefore, working methods and IT systems are being developed that are as simple and generic as possible.
“We are proud that this initiative is led by researchers at Norrland University Hospital. The concept being developed within the study can help ensure that several of the goals within the new national cancer strategy are achieved more quickly,” says Pia Näsvall, Director of Health and Medical Care in Region Västerbotten.
Funding from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs will also be used to trial a new approach in pathology, designed to facilitate molecular profiling. The project is collaborating with organisations including Genomic Medicine Sweden, the INCA platform and SciLifeLab, and is also linked to national and international projects.
“The funding makes it possible to expand capacity more quickly and evaluate molecular diagnostic methods, so that we achieve equal access to methods that can be used in future treatment decisions,” explains Karin Welén, docent at the University of Gothenburg, who leads the project together with Andreas Josefsson.
Umeå University and Region Västerbotten have for a long time built strong research environments in the field of cancer. SPRINTR is one of several initiatives brought together under the Umeå Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Umeå CCC), which is currently in the process of being accredited by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI).
“We support this project and look forward with great anticipation to seeing how the SPRINTR study and the FOCU.SE study, from complementary angles, can develop and become scalable models that benefit shared structures in Sweden. One of the CCC’s objectives is to support various initiatives that can complement one another so that, together, we can become an ecosystem for cancer research and development in Sweden,” says Patrik Rossi, Chair of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre Network Sweden.
