The ASCO Cancer Foundation will award $7.6 million to 62 researchers and three community oncology practices at the 2008 ASCO Annual Meeting, to be held in Chicago, Illinois, on May 31-June 3. The portfolio of grants and awards support clinical and translational research designed to improve cancer prevention, treatment and care.
Established in 1983, The ASCO Cancer Foundation Grants Program, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The program is one of the largest among professional medical societies and funds leading clinical oncologists across a broad range of specialties from around the world. Since its inception, the Society has awarded more than 600 grants totaling more than $40 million that have helped to transform the way cancer is prevented, detected, and treated.
"We are currently in the longest period of flat and declining federal funding for cancer research to date, and without appropriate investment, the opportunity to develop better treatments for cancer care will be lost or delayed," said Joseph S. Bailes, MD, Chair of The ASCO Cancer Foundation Board of Directors. "The ASCO Cancer Foundation supports progress in cancer by funding researchers at all stages of their profession—enabling oncology’s best and brightest to pursue promising research initiatives."
While each grant is tailored to support medical professionals at different stages of their careers, all of the 2008 recipients demonstrate an aptitude for independent investigation, proven commitment to careers in clinical cancer research, and/or have made major accomplishments in their field. The promising research efforts of this year's recipients include patient use of complementary and alternative medicine, and the investigation of new immunotherapy treatments.
Translational Research Professorship
The latest addition to The ASCO Cancer Foundation’s grants portfolio, the Translational Research Professorship (TRP) is awarded to physicians who are full-time professors at academic medical centers and have made significant contributions to the field of cancer research. Each recipient will receive $500,000 over five years to support continued efforts to bring advances in basic sciences into the clinical arena, and to serve as mentors for other translational researchers. The 2008 recipients are:
Bruce E. Johnson, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Everett Vokes, MD
University of Chicago
Advanced Clinical Research Awards
Advanced Clinical Research Awards (ACRAs) are presented to physicians who have 5 to 10 years of experience and are full-time faculty members in a clinical setting at an academic medical center. Each winner will receive a three-year award totaling $450,000 to support original research currently not funded. This year's recipients were chosen for their unique, patient-oriented approaches to research in breast cancer, sarcoma and hematologic malignancies. The 2008 recipients are:
Advanced Clinical Research Award in Breast Cancer
Lajos Pusztai, MD, PhD
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Advanced Clinical Research Award in Hematologic Malignancies
Mark J. Levis, MD, PhD
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Advanced Clinical Research Award in Sarcoma
Raphael F. Rousseau, MD, PhD
Centre Léon-Bérard
Scott M. Schuetze, MD, PhD
University of Michigan
Career Development Awards
Career Development Awards (CDAs) are presented to physicians in their second, third, or fourth year as full-time faculty members in a university setting. Each of this year's 13 winners will receive a three-year grant totaling $200,000 to establish an independent clinical cancer research program.
View list of 2008 CDA recipients (opens in new window)
Young Investigator Awards
Young Investigator Awards (YIAs) are presented to physicians in their final year of a fellowship program or in their first year post-fellowship. Each of this year’s 43 recipients will receive a one-year grant of $50,000 to fund his or her investigative studies as they begin their careers in clinical oncology research.
View list of 2008 YIA recipients (opens in new window)
Community Oncology Research Awards
Community Oncology Research Awards (CORAs) are designed to support clinical researchers at the community level as they enhance their research programs. Each practice will receive a one-year grant of $30,000 to help develop a high-quality clinical trials program. The 2008 recipients are:
Maine Center for Cancer Medicine
Scarborough, Maine
Northern New Jersey Cancer Association
Hackensack, New Jersey
Oncology Care Consultants
Frederick, Maryland
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