WASHINGTON – The Kidney Cancer Research Alliance (KCCure) announced awards totalling $200,000 in new funding to researchers at four institutions working on ground-breaking research in kidney cancer.
The recipients are:
Rosa Nadal Rios, MD, Ph.D., Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch at the National Institutes of Health for her research in the Role of epigenetic reprogramming on Human Endogenous Retroviruses type E (HERV-E) expression and impact on HERV-E directed immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). ($100,000 award)
Haifeng Yang, Ph.D. Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology at Thomas Jefferson University for his research Investigating the anti-tumor effect of a STING agonist on BAP1-deficient ccRCC tumors. ($50,000 award)
Pavlos Msaouel, MD, PhD, PhD Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MDAnderson Cancer Center for his research Integrative Epigenetic Profiling of Regulatory Networks Driving Renal Medullary Carcinoma. ($25,000 award)
Vitaly Margulis, MD Professor of Urology and Xiaosong Meng, MD, Phd Urologic Oncology Fellow, Department of Urology, UT Southwestern Medical Center for their research Using deep machine learning to identify aggressive tumor characteristics in renal cell carcinoma. ($25,000 award)
“We had many worthy applications, but these recipients were judged to be the best based on their scientific merit, innovation and impact to the field. While each proposal is unique in focus, they all are united toward one goal – to find a cure for kidney cancer.” said Dena Battle, President of KCCure.
Kidney Cancer is the deadliest of all urological malignancies. It is estimated that more than 70,000 people will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in the United States this year and more than 15,000 people will die from the disease. While advances in treating kidney cancer have been rapid over the past decade, curative therapies are still elusive for most patients with advanced disease.
“As a patient with metastatic kidney cancer, knowing that research like this is occurring gives me hope,” said Laura Loughlin, KCCure Director of Patient Engagement. “I am grateful to the supporters and donors who made this possible.”
The Kidney Cancer Research Alliance (KCCure) is a grassroots organization of patients, caregivers, and doctors committed to advancing research in the field of kidney cancer by increasing private funding, raising awareness about the disease, and magnifying the voice of patients and caregivers.
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