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Press Release

St. Baldrick’s Foundation Grants More than $22 Million for Innovative Childhood Cancer Research


July 16, 2013
    • Press Release
    • For Immediate Release

 

  • Media Contact:
    • Traci Shirk
    • 626.792.8247 ext. 50
    • traci@stbaldricks.org

St. Baldrick’s Foundation Grants more than $22 Million for Innovative Childhood Cancer Research

More than $125 Million Granted since 2005 by St. Baldrick’s for Lifesaving Research

LOS ANGELES (July 16, 2013) – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven and donor-centered charity dedicated to funding childhood cancer research, is pleased to announce more than $22 million in new funding for pediatric cancer research grants.

Worldwide a child is diagnosed with cancer every three minutes, and one in five children diagnosed in the U.S. will not survive. Of those that survive, 80 percent will have severe or life-threatening conditions as a result of treatment. These startling realities are why the St. Baldrick’s Foundation continues its commitment to fund the most promising research initiatives to find cures and provide kids with less toxic treatments, ensuring a healthier life for survivors.

“These grants are one step toward filling the critical gap that exists between the research dollars spent per child with cancer and those spent per adult,” says Kathleen Ruddy, chief executive officer of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “When one considers the total landscape of available funding from government, industry and philanthropy, it is apparent children are being left behind. Great progress has been made in treatments for many types of cancers that plague adults, but the same level of progress has been made in only a few forms of cancer in children. That needs to change.”

The Foundation launched a new funding category in 2013: St. Baldrick’s International Scholars. Many advancements in research have not yet benefited children in developing countries, and in addition, research that includes children from around the world will add significantly to the effort to understand these cancers and find cures for all children. The recipients of this new funding type are Joseph Lubega, M.D., of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, in conjunction with the Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala, Uganda and Soad Fuentes Alabi, M.D., of Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Mass., in conjunction with Hospital Nacional de Niños Benjamin Bloom, San Salvador, El Salvador.

Dr. Lubega, whose work focuses on African Burkitt’s lymphoma, the most prevalent cancer of children in Uganda and curable if discovered early, is looking to identify ways to detect this disease sooner in children through blood and saliva tests. Dr. Alabi will study the epidemiology and biology of childhood cancer in South America and work to establish a cancer registry in El Salvador and other countries in Central America.

The largest grant, more than $6.1 million, supports the cooperative research of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG). Through this grant, St. Baldrick’s funds virtually every institution with a multi-disciplinary team well qualified to treat childhood cancers.

More than 260 grant applications were received by the Foundation and reviewed by more than 180 pediatric oncology experts from around the world. After a rigorous process modeled after the National Institutes of Health, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation 2013 Summer Grants were awarded in the following categories:

New for 2013: St. Baldrick’s International Scholars – St. Baldrick’s International Scholars are researchers selected from low- and middle-income countries, brought to the U.S. or another appropriate high-income country for training to prepare them to fill specific stated needs in an area of childhood cancer research in their country of origin. This year two International Scholars were selected for multi-year projects totaling more than $636,000.

St. Baldrick’s Fellows – New doctors training to specialize in pediatric oncology research who receive a two-year award, with an optional third year for those needing more time to complete promising research projects. This year, seven new St. Baldrick’s Fellow awards were granted and four current Fellows were granted an additional year of funding for a total of more than $1.4 million.

St. Baldrick’s Scholars – Awards granted to young professionals pursuing exciting research, who often get passed over for funding due to competition from more established researchers. Grants are funded for three to five years. Seven new St. Baldrick’s Scholars were funded and eight Scholars were granted extensions for a total of more than $3.5 million.

Research Grants – Funded for one year and focused on hypothesis-driven projects with a goal of determining new and better treatments. Fifteen new Research Grants were awarded for a total of more than $1.4 million.

Supportive Care Research Grants – One-year funding for research that will lead to the improvement of the quality of life for patients and survivors, including the alleviation of side-effects and long-term effects of treatment. This year three new Supportive Care Research Grants were awarded for more than $205,000.

Consortium Research Grants – Funds are granted for up to five years to groups of researchers from multiple institutions working together on significant childhood cancer research projects. One lead institution manages the grant on behalf of all consortium member institutions. Four new Consortium Research Grants were awarded this year and nine ongoing consortia were granted extended funding, for a total of more than $5.8 million.

Cooperative Research Grants (COG) –The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) is a cooperative research group with approximately 200 member institutions across the U.S. and beyond. Each institution receives a portion of this grant of more than $6.1 million, distributed based on the number of patients at each institution who are treated on COG clinical trials. This grant also includes support of high-impact initiatives and more.

Beneficiaries Outside the U.S. – More than $650,000 was granted to fund childhood cancer organizations in 12 countries outside the U.S. as a result of St. Baldrick’s fundraising events held in those countries.

For a complete list of institutions receiving grants, please click on each category listed above or email media@stbaldricks.org.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. Since 2005, St. Baldrick’s has awarded more than $125 million to support lifesaving research, making the Foundation the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.

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