Five New Research Programs to Receive Funding from the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation

Abstract

The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) is pleased to announce the funding of five new investigative teams from John Hopkins University, The University of Rochester Medical Center, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, The University of New Mexico, and The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. This brings the total worldwide members of the Institute Without Walls to 60. SWCRF is unique in that the research programs it supports are both cancer type-specific and concept-driven, and researchers must agree to collaborate with their SWCRF peers on research projects funded by the Foundation. This worldwide collaborative approach to cancer research is the guiding principle of the Foundation's "Institute Without Walls". Dr. Samuel Waxman, professor of medicine at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Founder and Scientific Director of the Foundation, stated: "We are very pleased to expand the scope of our cancer research activities with the funding of these additional five new research initiatives. We know these worthwhile projects, in collaboration with our collective efforts over the years, will continue to improve the treatment and outcome of cancer patients." Prospective research teams submitted 70 detailed proposals for this highly selective and competitive process. All proposals were peer-reviewed, assessing the merits of the work and the potential for collaborative programs in epigenetic therapy, tumor dormancy and cancer stem cells. The final grantees are determined by utilizing the NIH scoring system. All funded programs are reviewed annually by an independent, external committee of eminent scientists. The following new research programs are being funded by SWCRF in 2007: - "Targeting the Sumoylation Machinery for the Relief of Gene Silencing and Differentiation Therapy" - Dr. Frank Rauscher, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia. This is a basic control of epigenetic components and a good target for cancer selective therapy. - "Novel Therapies Targeting Epigenetic Silencing of Tumor Suppressors" - Dr. Robert A. Casero, Jr., Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, (Project Leader), Dr. Stephen B. Baylin, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center; Dr. Steven Belinsky, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute of the University of New Mexico. A specific epigenetic component that malfunctions in colorectal cancer has been identified and inhibitors are being tested in this program. - "Pharmacogenetic Targeting of the Nuclear Hormone Receptors PPARdelta/gamma in Colorectal Cancer" - Dr. Ronald Evans, HHMI and The Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The nuclear receptor family called PPAR plays an important role in inflammation thought to play an important role in the development of colon cancer. - "MicroRNAs Regulating Acute Leukemia" - Dr. Curt Civin, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. AND - "Differentiation Therapy and Epigenetic Modulation of Human Leukemia Stem Cells" - Dr. Craig Jordan, University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Civin and Dr. Jordan will collaborate with others in the SWCRF to understand how to reprogram leukemia stem cells and eliminate the root cause of acute leukemia. About the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation Now in its 32nd year, the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) is a unique non-profit international organization dedicated to supporting focused concept-driven research to develop targeted cancer cell-specific therapies with minimal toxicity, such as differentiation therapy. Two drugs developed through Foundation-supported research, and now used worldwide, have proven the effectiveness of non-toxic differentiation in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), which has helped cure 50,000 people. Since its inception, SWCRF has trained and supported more than 170 scientists with research grants exceeding $60 million. Based in New York City at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, the Foundation funds highly collaborative basic, translational and clinical research groups throughout the United States, Canada, China, Europe and Israel. SWCRF grant applicants are established investigators who agree to collaborate with other SWCRF investigators on research projects funded by the Foundation. Functioning as an "Institute Without Walls" the Foundation currently enables the collaboration of accomplished scientists in 35 different world-renown cancer research centers. SWCRF hosts international conferences that bring together differentiation therapy investigators in a major forum to share their findings with the scientific community. Foundation-supported projects are reviewed and evaluated annually by an independent external committee of eminent scientists. The Foundation derives most of its support from individual contributions. For more information, visit www.waxmancancer.org