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101 Grants Funded to Accelerate Victory Over Cancer®
The V Foundation for Cancer Research announces it has awarded nearly $27 million in cancer research grants during its 2022 fiscal year. Since its inception almost 30 years ago, the V Foundation has funded over $310 million through almost 1,200 grants. Grants are awarded through a competitive process strictly supervised by a world-class Scientific Advisory Committee comprised of top leaders in the cancer research field, accepting submissions from researchers at the 71 NCI-designated cancer centers in the U.S. and other exceptional research institutions.
Accelerating Victory Over Cancer® through game-changing research is saving lives. The risk of death from cancer dropped by about 2% a year from 2015 to 2019 compared to 1% a year during the 1990s (source: American Cancer Society).
“It’s our honor to award the top researchers in the nation with grants that will change their careers and the treatment of cancer,” said V Foundation Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Susanna Greer. “Our vision is a future where all cancer diagnosis are early and are met with choice of treatments and outcomes of long-term survival.”
Here’s a breakdown of the 101 grants funded:
The adult V Scholar research project that receives the highest rating by the Scientific Advisory Committee is annually designated as the Abeloff V Scholar. This award is in honor of the late Dr. Martin D. Abeloff, a beloved member of the Scientific Advisory Committee. In 2022, this honor went to Dr. Debattama Sen at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. Dr. Sen’s research is focused on reducing the exhaustion of CAR-T cells, a new therapy where a patient’s own white blood cells are isolated, modified in a dish to better recognize their tumor, and infused back in.
“My husband was diagnosed with lymphoma when we were both in graduate school, and he was treated in the same institute that my PhD lab was based in Boston,” said Dr. Sen. “I recognize how lucky we both are that he has now been in remission for many years, and this further motivates me to research ways to make the same dream come true for all cancer patients and their loved ones.”
“As Jim Valvano said, ‘Don’t give up, don’t ever give up,’” said V Foundation CEO Shane Jacobson. “And we won’t until we achieve our goal of Victory Over Cancer®. V Foundation grants are accelerating cures and saving lives thanks to our generous donors and sponsors.”
The V Foundation holds 11 consecutive 4-star (highest) ratings from Charity Navigator, America’s largest evaluator of charities, making the foundation among the top 2% of all charities evaluated. The V Foundation is also a GuideStar platinum-rated charity. To learn more or to donate, please visit www.v.org.