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Press Release

$100,000 Awarded to The University of Texas at Austin to Support Promising Childhood Cancer Research


August 22, 2016
    • Press Release
    • For Immediate Release

 

  • Media Contact:
    • Traci Shirk
    • 626.792.8247 ext. 250
    • traci@stbaldricks.org

$100,000 Awarded to The University of Texas at Austin to Support Promising Childhood Cancer Research

Part of $22 Million Awarded in New Grants by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation

AUSTIN, Texas (August 22, 2016) – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-powered and donor-centered charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, is proud to award a $100,000 St. Baldrick’s research grant to support the work of Steven Vokes, Ph.D., a researcher at The University of Texas at Austin.

Medulloblastoma, the most common brain cancer in children, is formed by mutations that activate a signaling pathway. With the grant from St. Baldrick’s, Dr. Vokes and his team are investigating how this pathway controls genes through specific DNA regions. By studying these regions, they hope to find a possible therapeutic target for medulloblastoma.

“One of the challenges in today’s highly competitive environment is that even great ideas take a long time to get funded. St. Baldrick’s has a streamlined review process that quickly funds promising research,” said Vokes, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Bioscences. “Its support has allowed us to quickly initiate experiments in a promising new area that we would otherwise be unable to pursue.”

Help the St. Baldrick’s Foundation continue to fund the best research, wherever it takes place. Make a donation today.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation believes that kids are special and deserve to be treated that way. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts who are working to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. Kids need treatments as unique as they are – and that starts with funding research just for them. Join us at StBaldricks.org to help support the best cancer treatments for kids.

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