Some Important Milestones:
Over $1 Million Dollars Raised and 21 Research Studies Funded
We are proud to announce some important milestones that have been reached by the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative. We have now raised over $1,000,000 to support sarcoma research, family services, and clinical trial related studies since we began our fundraising activities in 2003. The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative is an all volunteer organization with an extremely low overhead; thus, 97-98% of all of the funds we receive are used for these purposes. We have now funded 21 research studies, including the four announced in this editorial.
We believe that work needs to proceed on many of the subtypes of sarcoma and have supported work in a wide range of sarcomas including Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Chordoma, Clear Cell Sarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, GIST, Leiomyosarcoma, Liposarcoma, MFH, MPNST, Osteosarcoma, and Rhabdomyosarcoma. We also believe quality work should be funded wherever it is being done and have awarded grants in Australia, China, Germany, Italy and to many institutions in the United States.
We seek out other sarcoma advocacy groups and individuals to help fund research studies that have been recommended for funding as a result of our peer-reviewed grant application process. By combining our financial resources, our organizations can fund more substantive research studies jointly than we could fund independently. We have co-funded research studies with the Amschwand Sarcoma Cancer Foundation, Bone Cancer International, the Brian Morden Foundation, the Chordoma Foundation, the FOSTER Foundation, and the LMSarcoma Direct Research Foundation (LMSdr). Additionally, we have funded three Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA) initiated research studies. The 21 grants we have awarded represent over $762,000 in research funding. Working together we can make a difference.
The four new research studies that we are announcing are described below. Among them is our first $100,000 grant and our ninth $50,000 grant.
PEDF: A Potential Therapeutic Agent for Osteosarcoma
Led by Professor Peter F. M. Choong, MD and involving Crispin R. Dass, PhD
Orthopaedics Department of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia
Analysis of NR0B1 in Ewing’s sarcoma
Led by Stephen L. Lessnick, MD, PhD
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
High Throughput miRNA Expression Profiling for Well-Differentiated and De-Differentiated Liposarcoma
Led by Dina Lev, MD
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas
and Matt van de Rijn, MD, PhD
Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California
A Mouse Model for Chordoma
Led by Brian Harfe, PhD
University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
We hope that the results of these studies are stepping stones on the path to finding a cure for sarcoma. If you are interested in learning more about our research program please contact us.