St. Baldrick’s Foundation Recognizes New York Lawyer for His Dedication to Childhood Cancer Research

Rockville Centre, N.Y. – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charitable funder of childhood cancer research grants, is proud to announce the Rosa and Francesco Romanello St. Baldrick’s Research Grant, named after the parents of former St. Baldrick’s pro bono General Counsel Salvatore Romanello. The grant was created to honor Romanello’s work with St. Baldrick’s and was awarded to Dr. Elizabeth Lawlor at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.

The $100,000 grant will support Dr. Lawlor’s research focused on Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone tumor which currently presents very few options for cures if it has metastasized in the body. Dr. Lawlor will study how the tumor cells in Ewing sarcoma can change the surrounding normal tissues to allow the tumor cells to leave the bone and spread to other sites in the body. Results so far have shown that the tumor cells and the normal tissues ‘talk to each other’ and that this crosstalk is likely to be essential for the growth and spread of the tumor, both within the bone as well as in other tissues. Dr. Lawlor will be working with Dr. Kurt Hankenson, a professor of orthopedic surgery and expert in bone biology, to decipher these messages and the instructions they convey, so that new therapies can be developed to intercept and block the spread of tumors.

This grant is named to recognize and thank Romanello for his support in conquering childhood cancers and providing pro bono legal counsel to the Foundation for nearly 10 years, during his term as a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, allowing for more dollars to go to lifesaving childhood cancer research.

“Sal has been an integral part of our team and so we wanted to create something special to properly convey our appreciation to him and his family for their support,” said Kathleen Ruddy, CEO of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “Because Sal donated so many hours to St. Baldrick’s, more grants were made possible. We will work hard in the years ahead to ensure that Sal, his family and the St. Baldrick’s community continue to be proud of the research advances the Foundation will help make possible.”

With more than 20 years of legal experience, Romanello is now serving as General Counsel for 605, an advanced data and analytics company focused on the media and entertainment industries. Recognized as a leader in Business Litigation by SuperLawyers Magazine, Romanello started his legal career in 1997 and was a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP before joining 605. Romanello has a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, and received his J.D. from the Fordham University School of Law.

To learn more about St. Baldrick’s, visit StBaldricks.org, and connect on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Vimeo.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is leading the charge to take childhood back from cancer. St. Baldrick’s funds 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 childhood cancer research, no matter where it takes place.

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