2011 Funding In addition to the many therapeutic and non-
therapeutic studies supported by CureSearch for Children’s Cancer through grants from the National Cancer Institute, CureSearch also funds research using philanthropic dollars. We are pleased to share with you some highlights of research funded during fiscal year 2011.
Aflac Funds Adolescent and Young Adult Research
Aflac continues to support researchers specifically focused on adolescents and young adults (AYA). Historically an age group
Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation Enables Long- Term Follow-Up Research
The Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation once again supported the Children’s Oncology Group
Long Term Follow-Up Center at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. This Center is gathering data to understand the long-term health consequences of children treated for cancer and was created because changes in therapies and increased numbers of long-term survivors have mandated the need to better understand, and improve, quality of life and reduce survivorship side-effects for children with cancer.
In addition, the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation also donated to CureSearch through its CureSearch Walk Team, “24 for a Cure,” raising $7,220 for the CureSearch Walk – Charlotte, in November 2010.
that is underrepresented in cancer research, this patient population has experienced no improvement in survival in recent decades, which is in stark contrast to the significant advances seen in younger patients. Aflac, through its partnership with CureSearch, created the Aflac AYA Oncology Young Investigator Awards Program, and is supporting researchers across the nation committed to understanding the reasons these patients do not fare as well as their younger counterparts, and taking steps to change these statistics.
QuadW Foundation Advances Osteosarcoma Biostatistics
What Would Willie Want? The Quad W Foundation was founded in memory of Dallas, TX native
Willie Tichenor, who died of osteosarcoma in 2006 at 19. QuadW provided CureSearch with a grant to create the QuadW Childhood Sarcoma Office of Biostatistics and Annotation (QuadW OBAO). The initiative streamlines research by improving the cataloging, quality assessment, and annotation of osteosarcoma tumor samples stored in the COG’s centralized tissue bank. Since its inception, clinical annotation of the osteosarcoma biospecimen repository has increased from less than 5% to more than 90%, allowing researchers to complete statistical analysis for more than a dozen osteosarcoma biology studies that had been previously halted.
Jeffrey Pride Foundation Funds Targeted Therapy for ALL
The Illinois-based Jeffrey Pride Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Research was founded in honor
of Jeffrey Pride, who died at age 7 following a two- year battle with leukemia. The Foundation supports CureSearch by investing in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and supports two underfunded areas: pharmacological research of new chemotherapeutic agents, and subsidizing clinical trials so children will be able to receive new and potentially lifesaving drugs. To help raise funds, the Foundation holds an annual golf tournament. This year’s 10th annual tournament was held at the Makray Memorial Golf Club in Barrington, IL.
Nick Currey Fund Seeks Answers to Questions about Ewing Sarcoma
The Nick Currey Fund has one goal: “to find a cure for Ewing sarcoma so that the Nicks of the
future will not be lost to such an evil disease.” After surviving leukemia as a toddler, Nick was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma just one day before leaving for college. He lost his battle in 2007. A number of current studies related to Ewing sarcoma are funded through donations made by the Nick Currey Fund, including:
• Researchers at Georgetown University are investigating whether or not specific proteins found only in cells of the Ewing sarcoma family of tumors can be targeted with specific anti-cancer drugs.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28