I’m pleased to share that the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation recently announced funding for five mesothelioma research grants.
Having seen first-hand the deadly impact this disease can have on patients and their families, my colleagues and I understand the critical need for research dollars for mesothelioma. Thanks to the work of the Meso Foundation that need is being fulfilled, but not fast enough. Every year 3,000 new Americans are newly diagnosed with mesothelioma, which is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.
A cure can’t come quick enough.
The foundation awards funding based on a rigorous peer-reviewed process. This means that all projects are reviewed and ranked by the members of the organization’s Science Advisory Board. The five were selected from a pool of 42 applicants.
This year’s projects include:
- A study attempting to combine all genomic data of ten different pleural mesothelioma tumors and discover which genes are truly meaningful in disease treatment.
- A study investigating how important proteins in the immune system are involved in regulating the response of mesothelioma cells to chemotherapy.
- A study of WT1 peptide/MHS complexes and their use as a possible antigen that would help the immune system detect and kill mesothelioma cells.
- A review of three experiments of BAP1 to character how the loss of BAP1 may cause mesothelioma to become more vulnerable to targeted therapy approaches.
- A project to identify and validate miRNAs as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets diffuse in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.
The five new grants bring the total number of grants funded by the Meso Foundation to 76 for a cumulative total of $7.6 million in funding. As the Meso Foundations highest cumulative donor, the Firm has been a proud supporter of the foundation since it started more than ten years ago. However, until a meso cure is found, more support is needed. No one deserves to suffer through a mesothelioma diagnosis.
For more information on these grants and more visit the Foundation’s website.
