The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Awards $260,000 in Research Grants
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 30, 2015 -- The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF), a nonprofit organization funding cutting-edge, novel research for bile duct cancer, announced today the first grant recipients of its newly launched Research Fellowship Program.
The Foundation has awarded 5 grants totaling $260,000 to outstanding scientists throughout the country to raise awareness about cholangiocarcinoma and inspire innovative, quality research. The funding will support research that opens new pathways for diagnosis and drug discovery thereby accelerating a path to a cure.
“Through these studies, CCF’s Research Fellowship Program aims to gain insights and achieve significant milestones into the research of cholangiocarcinoma” said Donna Mayer, Executive Director of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. “We are proud to honor and support these remarkable scientists as they carry on the legacies of those for whom the grants are named.”
This year’s recipients are:
Innovation Award
A Balancing Act: Dysregulated Differentiation and Proliferation as a Novel Mechanism of Cholangiocarcinoma Formation
Amount: $60,000
Researcher: Chad Walesky, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Andrea Marie Fuquay Memorial Research Fellowship
Implementation of Precision Medicine Approaches in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
Amount: $50,000
Researcher: Daniela Sia, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Andrea Scott Memorial Research Fellowship
Determining the Cellular Origins of Cholangiocarcinoma
Amount: $50,000
Researcher: Allyson Merrell, University of Pennsylvania
Christopher J. Wilke Memorial Research Fellowship
Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor FGFR Family Gene Aberrations in Cholangiocarcinoma
Amount: $40,000
Researcher: Katsuyuki Miyabe, Mayo Clinic
Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award
Combined Inhibition of PI3K/Akt and MAPK Pathways in Advanced Biliary Cancer
Amount: $60,000
Researcher: Daniel H. Ahn, The Ohio State University
About Cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma, a highly lethal cancer with poor prognosis, arises from the bile ducts in the liver. It is often diagnosed at advanced stages when treatment is only minimally effective, emphasizing the imminent need for novel therapies.
There are no effective strategies for prevention, early diagnosis or long-term treatment, indicating a significant unmet medical need. The risk factors and genetic causes of CC are not well known and clinical treatment options are extremely limited. Even with aggressive treatment, survival rates are low and average survival is only 6 month from diagnosis.
Although considered rare, with 4,000-5,000 cases a year being diagnosed in the US, the worldwide incidence and mortality is increasing thus research into this deadly disease is urgently needed.
About the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation
Founded in 2006, the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation is a global 501(c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to find a cure and improve the quality of life for those affected by bile duct cancer through advocacy, education, collaboration and research.
Visit http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org to learn more.
Donna Mayer, Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org, +1 2153756362, [email protected]
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