For
Immediate Release
Foundation Honors Memory
and Mission of Namesake by
Spurring New Lung Cancer Research at Top U.S. Cancer
Centers
Joan’s Legacy: The Joan Scarangello Foundation
to Conquer Lung Cancer announced its funding of $400,000
in grants for new research into lung cancer to establish
its medical research program. The grants will support
four different research projects at four nationally
recognized research institutions, and represent the
first grants made by this 18-month old organization.
"We were delighted with
the strong response to our request for grant proposals
from the nation’s leading cancer centers, and
we are honored to be able to fund four different and
important projects our first time out," said Patrick
McNeive, the Foundation’s president. "Our
medical committee did an outstanding job reviewing the
proposals, and enabled us to make funding commitments
with the certainty that our grants will make a real
difference in the fight against lung cancer."
Joan’s Legacy will
fund the following projects:
• "Virus discovery
in human bronchoalveolar carcinoma" at Dana-Farber
Cancer Center at Harvard University, by Dr. Matthew
Meyerson, which seeks a possible viral cause for non-smoking
lung cancer;
• "Targeting the estrogen and epidermal growth
factors in women with non-small cell lung cancer"
at University of Pittsburgh, by Dr. Laura Stabile, which
investigates the synergistic effect of two key cell
surface structures in the causation of non-small cell
lung cancer;
• "Mechanisms of resistance with tyrosine
kinase inhibitors targeting the epidermal growth factor
receptor," by Dr. Thao Dang of Vanderbilt University,
which examines mutations in cell surface proteins that
result in resistance to chemotherapy;
• "Peptide ligands as novel therapy for bronchoalveolar
lung cancer," by Dr. Derrick Lau at University
of California at Davis, which seeks to discover specific
cell surface proteins that can be used as targets to
attach lung cancer cells.
Joan’s Legacy is named
for Joan Scarangello, a life-long New Yorker and nonsmoker
who died at age 47 after a valiant nine-month fight
with lung cancer. Joan’s Legacy is an annual benefit
committed to fighting lung cancer by searching for a
cure, focusing greater attention on the world’s
leading cancer killer, and saving lives through research,
education, and early detection initiatives. In her memory
and honor, the Foundation is most keenly interested
in identifying and funding research into non-smoking
lung cancer, such as bronchoalveolar (BAC) and lung
cancers that affect women.
"The importance of this
work is underscored by the fact that each institution
has waived its in-direct cost programs in order to guide
100% of the Joan’s Legacy funds directly to the
research, which is highly unique," commented Dr.
David A. Hidalgo, Chairman of the Foundation’s
Medical Committee. "We are thrilled with the quality
of the grant proposals we received and look forward
to spurring more research into this very challenging
and woefully under-funded endeavor."
Lung Cancer is the number
one cancer killer in the United States, taking more
than 160,000 lives each year – more women than
breast, uterine and ovarian cancers combined. And yet
lung cancer receives less research funding than almost
any other cancer. Less than .05% of all tobacco settlement
dollars reach lung cancer research centers, making the
work of Joan’s Legacy even more compelling.
Joan’s Legacy will
be making grant awards every fall. The Foundation also
hosts a benefit every year in November (national Lung
Cancer Awareness month), which helps fund its research
initiatives. Television news anchors Tom Brokaw, Aaron
Brown, Barbara Walters and Brian Williams will host
this year’s event, its "Strolling Supper
with Blues and News." It will also feature a performance
by Grammy© winning
blues artist Delbert McClinton.
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