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European
Epidemiologists Seeking To Crowdfund Part Of Their Case-Control Study
On Pancreatic Cancer
A quick google search on epidemiology and crowdfunding
suggests this fund-raising tool has not been widely used to obtain
funds for epidemiologic research. However, multiple sites exist to
solicit funds for projects of all kinds, and epidemiologists
participating in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer
and Nutrition Cohort (EPIC) decided to throw their hat in the ring.
They are seeking to help provide funds for a nested case-control study
looking at persistent organic pollutants as risk factors for exocrine
pancreatic cancer.
The
Solicitation
The
solicitation appears on a Spanish platform called precipita.es and
consists of a short video featuring epidemiologist Miquel Porta
describing the project in Spanish. The site also contains brief
descriptive information about the project.
Why Do
It?
According to Porta, “…patient associations are
disseminating our project, as well as people interested in the
environmental causes of cancers…to me it continues to be striking how
surprised some citizens are that we study the causes of a disease, and
to hear that, essential as it is to investigate on diagnosis and
treatment, research on the causes of diseases is the only way to
improve primary prevention…simple but powerful.”
Background
According to documents shared with The Epidemiology
Monitor, the study is being partly funded by a research agency in
Spain and by donations through the Catalan Television TV3. The study
is ongoing and the group is seeking funds to finish the project.
Public
Perspectives
According to Porta, the investigators had to explain to
some media that their effort was not due to lack of funding from the
government, but it was prompted by the belief that private funds
complement state funds. The latter are insufficient, and the private
funds are also an opportunity for citizens to get involved in
supporting research they value. He described an email, as an example,
“yesterday someone (a physician) sent me this message--I just
contributed €200 in honour of a great physician, and father, who in
2012 died of pancreatic cancer.”
Porta told the Monitor technologies make it quite easy
for researchers to seek funds and for citizens to contribute. While
the crowdfunding will be a small part of our funding, said Porta, it
is worthwhile in economic terms and because of the interaction with
citizens on social media and in other ways.
The deadline for contributions is February 29, 2016.
The project has raised approximately 8,500 euros. The minimum donation
is 10 euros. Donations from other countries such as the US where
pancreatic cancer is also a problem are welcome, said Porta Funds
raised through crowdfunding will go towards paying a junior
biostatistician, according to the documents.
To visit the crowdfunding site or make a donation
visit:
http://tinyurl.com/oaddurg
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