RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – July 5, 2012 - The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded two grants totaling $132,000 to researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia. The grants, which went into effect July 1, 2012, are among 135 national research and training grants totaling about $52 million in one of two grant cycles that occur annually. These new awards increase the Society’s current cancer research funding at Virginia institutions to 13 grants totaling $5,362,000.
For more than 60 years, the American Cancer Society has funded research and training of health professionals to investigate the causes, prevention, and early detection of cancer, as well as new treatments, cancer survivorship, and end of life support for patients and their families. Since its founding in 1946, the American Cancer Society’s extramural research grants program has devoted more than $3.8 billion to cancer research. It has funded 46 researchers who have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.
With the support of the American Cancer Society, newly-funded researchers Kristin Filler, BS, from Virginia Commonwealth University and Kristopher Kubow, PhD, from the University of Virginia are focusing on new discoveries to help achieve the Society’s goal of eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Filler’s research focuses on improving the quality of life for women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer who develop metastatic breast cancer. Her work is expected to benefit patient care and survivorship issues. Kubow’s research focuses on cancer progression and metastasis, studying complex three-dimensional matrices of cell adhesion, migration and signaling. His work will help aid in the development of targeted cancer therapies.
Grant applications are ranked on the basis of merit by one of several discipline-specific Peer Review Committees, each of which is composed of 12 to 25 scientific advisors or peers who are experts in their fields. The Council for Extramural Grants, a committee of senior scientists, recommends funding based on the relative merit of the applications, the amount of available funds, and the Society’s objectives. No member of the American Cancer Society’s Board of Directors or National Assembly may serve on a Peer Review Committee or as a voting member on the Council for Extramural Grants.
The Council for Extramural Grants also approved 121 research grant applications that could not be funded due to budgetary constraints. These “pay-if” grants represent work that passed the Society’s multi-disciplinary review process but go beyond the Society’s current funding resources, and which will be funded of additional monies become available. These grants serve as an important reminder that there continues to be promising research we would like to fund but cannot with our current resources. For more information about the American Cancer Society Research Program, please visit cancer.org/research.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org. For cancer news in your community, visit sacancernews.org.
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