The Federal Government has put up $26 million for 19 clinical trials to improve survival rates for rare cancers and other diseases.

The trails will test new responses to devastating conditions like acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in infants, aplastic anaemia, multiple sclerosis and Huntington’s disease.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales will test a vaccine to target glioblastoma, a lethal brain cancer and the most frequent cause of cancer deaths in children and young people.

Another clinical trial at the University of Queensland will evaluate the benefits of medicinal cannabis for people with advanced cancer, and define the role of the drug for patients with cancer in palliative care.

Monash University is researching a new preventive treatment for graft versus host disease following a bone marrow transplant which could halve instances of the life-threatening complication, while a trial by the University of Western Australia to simultaneously compare a range of cystic fibrosis treatments may lead to improved care for this complex disease.

Other trials will explore the effectiveness and safety of aspirin compared to heparin to treat blood clots and test a new triple therapy regimen to target rare viral-driven brain lymphomas.

“While we have seen improved survival rates for high incidence cancers such as bowel cancer, rates for rare cancers have remained relatively unchanged for some time,” Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement.

In fact, rare cancers with low survival rates accounted for 47 per cent of all cancer deaths in 2014.

“We are committed to continuing to invest in research to find the answers to these challenges,” he said.

The Federal Government is also preparing to open a targeted grant round worth $10 million for research into rare cancers and rare diseases with low survival rates through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

An additional $33 million worth of grants will be made available under the MRFF in 2018-19 to carry on the focus on rare cancers, rare diseases and unmet need.