Four New Grants Awarded in ACROBATIC’s January 2026 Call

In the most recent funding round with a deadline on 16 January 2026, ACROBATIC received a total of eight applications. Following a competitive evaluation process, four new grants have been awarded to high-quality research projects spanning all three of ACROBATIC’s clinical focus areas: prehabilitation and preoperative risk assessment (CFA1), surgical innovation and technique (CFA2), and survivorship (CFA3).

Below is an overview of the grantees and their projects:

WP 1.7
Principal Investigator: Ismail Gögenur, MD, DMSc, Professor, Centre for Surgical Science, Zealand University Hospital, Denmark.
Grant awarded to: PhD student Magnus Nordblad Jung
Title: Personalized Perioperative Management in Colorectal Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial – The AIDPRO-CRC trial

Abstract:
Background: Surgical resection remains the cornerstone of curative treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC), yet postoperative complications and readmissions remain frequent despite widespread ERAS implementation. AI-driven risk stratification may enable targeted perioperative optimization for those most at risk. The AIDPRO-CRC investigation evaluates an AI-augmented decision-support platform (MDTPlatform) intended to support risk-based perioperative treatment selection.
Methods: AIDPRO-CRC is an investigator-initiated, nationwide, multicenter, pre-market pivotal randomized controlled investigation with two embedded components (usability survey and simulation substudy). Eight CRC centers participate across the five Danish regions participates. First inclusion is planned for October 2025. The randomized trial will include 1,200 patients (600 per arm). Adults with newly diagnosed CRC scheduled for elective, curative-intent surgery are randomized 1:1 to AI-augmented risk stratification (intervention) versus surgeon-based risk stratification (control); all sites deliver predefined, evidence-based perioperative treatment bundles (A–D) per national practice. Allocation to bundle is open, while the risk-prediction modality is blinded to patients.
Primary endpoints (triple): (A) incremental perioperative cost per patient comparing AI-assisted versus surgeon-only risk-stratification; (B) clinician-reported relevance/usability of MDTPlatform; and (C) variability in suggested treatment with versus without MDTPlatform (simulation substudy).
Secondary endpoints: 90-day complicated course (CD > 2 or CCI > 20), complication counts, length of stay, 30/90-day readmissions, DAOH30/90, time from MDT to surgery.
Discussion: By randomizing the risk-stratification method, while standardizing perioperative care bundles, AIDPRO-CRC isolates the added value of AI-augmented decision support on resource use and patient outcomes. If effective, this approach could streamline resource allocation, reduce complications, and support scalable, data-informed perioperative care in CRC.

WP 1.9
Principal Investigator: Michael Achiam, Professor, DMSc., Ph.d., MD, Department of Digestive Diseases, Transplantation and General Surgery, Rigshospitalet, Denmark.
Grant awarded to: PhD student and research nurses
Title: Preoperative evaluation and prehabilitation in esophagogastric cancer surgery

Abstract:
Background: Esophagogastric cancer predominantly affects older adults, and despite advances in surgical care, >50% of patients undergoing curative surgery develop postoperative complications. Complications worsen survival and quality of life and substantially increase healthcare costs (up to 241% after complicated esophagectomy). The preoperative period provides a window for optimisation, yet evidence for prehabilitation remains inconsistent, partly due to heterogeneous, single-modality interventions and inclusion of relatively fit patients. A decentralised, multimodal approach targeting high-risk patients may improve outcomes and reduce social inequality in line with Kræftplan V.
Hypothesis/Aim: We hypothesise that a national, decentralised, multimodal prehabilitation programme is feasible and safe and can reduce postoperative morbidity in high-risk patients. The primary aim is to evaluate feasibility and safety and estimate the impact on postoperative morbidity to inform a definitive national RCT.
Methods: In a national, multicentre feasibility pilot, 60 high-risk patients scheduled for curatively intended esophagectomy will be recruited from four Danish cancer centres. High risk is defined by ≥1 risk factor (low physical function, frailty, malnutrition risk, daily smoking, and/or harmful alcohol intake). The tailored intervention includes decentralised home/municipality-based exercise, Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, dietitian-led nutrition, and smoking/alcohol cessation. Primary endpoints are recruitment, retention, adherence, and adverse events; secondary endpoints include morbidity, length of stay, readmissions, mortality, and patient/relative/staff-reported experiences and preferences.
Perspectives: This study will deliver a scalable national framework for implementation and provide effect estimates and feasibility data for a subsequent RCT and health economic evaluation.

WP 2.31
Principal Investigator: Tine Engberg Damsgaard, MD, PhD, MRBS, Professor, Research Unit of Plastic Surgery, Odense University Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery, Odense University Hospital, Department of Surgery and Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Southern Denmark and Department of Regional Health Research, Denmark.
Grant awarded to: PhD student Regitze Størling
Title: SENSI-Breast: Restoring Sensation after Breast Reconstruction: A Clinical Study of Neurotization Techniques

Abstract:
Loss of breast and nipple sensation after nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction significantly affects quality of life. Although awareness of sensory outcomes is increasing, techniques for sensory preservation and restoration are still emerging and require systematic clinical evaluation to support safe, standardized integration into patient-centered reconstructive practice.
SENSI-Breast is a prospective clinical research program designed in accordance with the IDEAL framework to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of sensory nerve reconstruction in immediate breast reconstruction following mastectomy. The project comprises four substudies: a systematic review, a feasibility study, and two prospective case-control studies comparing standard reconstruction without neurotization, direct end-to-end nerve coaptation using a nerve connector, and neurotization using an interpositional nerve allograft.
Primary outcomes include objective sensory recovery assessed by Semmes–Weinstein monofilament testing and patient-reported sensory outcomes and quality of life measured using the validated BREAST-Q questionnaire. Outcomes are assessed longitudinally up to 24 months postoperatively. Results from the feasibility study will inform subsequent sample size calculations and guide methodological refinement.
The project is anchored at a high-volume breast reconstructive center and is conducted through close collaboration between plastic surgeons, breast surgeons, sensory research specialists, statisticians, and patient representatives. National and international collaborations support methodological rigor and enable gradual expansion to additional centers as technical training and feasibility are established.
By integrating objective sensory testing with patient-reported outcomes, SENSI-Breast aims to generate clinically relevant evidence to support sensory restoration as a meaningful outcome in breast reconstruction and ultimately improve long-term quality of life for breast cancer survivors.

WP 3.8
Principal Investigator: Louise Krog, PhD student, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, and Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Grant awarded to: Bioinformatician and lab technician
Title: Towards individualized surveillance programs for patients with vulva cancer – The Danish Vulva Cancer Recurrence Study (DaVulvaRec)

Abstract:
Background: Vulva cancer (VC) is a rare malignancy with approximately 120 annual cases in Denmark. Prognosis differs between HPV-associated and HPV-independent VC, yet current treatment and surveillance follow a "one-size fits all" approach. Up to 40% of patients experience recurrence, often diagnosed late due to the absence of reliable imaging and biomarkers. Circulating tumor-DNA (ctDNA) is an emerging biomarker in other cancers but remains unexplored in VC. Treatment-related morbidity is substantial, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may offer early detection and improved management of recurrence and late effects.
Aim: To evaluate the utility of ctDNA for disease stratification, detection of residual disease, and recurrence monitoring in VC patients. Further, to assess whether a PRO-based, algorithm-guided surveillance with a nurse-led telephone intervention facilitates early detection of recurrence and improved management of clinically relevant late effects.
Materials and Methods: DaVulvaRec is a national, prospective, explorative study including all Danish VC patients treated at Aarhus University Hospital and Rigshospitalet. Participants undergo surveillance with serial blood sampling for ctDNA analyses and complete validated QoL and symptom questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC VU, LYMQOL). An embedded algorithm may trigger a nurse-led telephone interview during surveillance if concerning symptoms are reported. The study comprises three main work packages: (1) ctDNA analyses, (2) PRO-guided early recurrence detection, and (3) PRO-guided management of late effects.
Perspectives: Integrating ctDNA measurement may guide treatment and surveillance strategies. Combined with a PRO-driven surveillance, this may facilitate individualized, risk-stratified surveillance programs for future VC patients.