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St. Baldrick's Foundation Grants more than $24.7 Million for Lifesaving Childhood Cancer ResearchLOS ANGELES --(Business Wire)-- The St. Baldrick's Foundation, a volunteer-driven and donor-centered charity dedicated to funding children's cancer research, is pleased to announce more than $24.7 million in new funding of pediatric cancer research grants. Worldwide a child is diagnosed every 3 minutes, and in the U.S., more children die of childhood cancer than any other disease. Of those that survive, 80 percent will have severe or life-threatening conditions as a result of treatment. As the leading non-governmental provider of childhood cancer research funding, the St. Baldrick's Foundation continues its commitment to fund the most promising research initiatives to overcome these startling realities, providing kids with more effective and less toxic treatments to give survivors long, healthy lives. "We cannot thank our donors, volunteers and partners enough for making these grants possible," says Kathleen Ruddy, chief executive officer of the St. Baldrick's Foundation. "At a time when the pharmaceutical industry is effectively uninvolved in childhood cancer research, and when federal funding for pediatric cancer research is at a record low, St. Baldrick's supporters have stepped up to help ensure that critical pediatric cancer research continues and kids have access to clinical trials. Our goal is that all of our grants will have a positive impact on the kids battling cancer and continue to move us closer to our mission of finding cures for all forms of childhood cancers." The Foundation awarded $7.5 million to the Children's Oncology Group (COG) which is the Foundation's single largest grant to date. The COG, whose member institutions treat more than 90 percent of kids with cancer in the U.S., has weathered a 30 percent decrease in federal funding over the past decade, when adjusted for inflation. This grant from St. Baldrick's will support the cooperative research of the COG in this time of federal funding shortfall. With this grant, St. Baldrick's has awarded more than $53 million to the COG since 2005. "The St. Baldrick's Foundation has always been a major supporter of the COG. At a time when scientific advances are helping us make progress in a number of difficult to treat cancers, this year's phenomenal award from St. Baldrick's will prove to be even more critical to the research we do," said Peter Adamson, M.D., Chair, Children's Oncology Group. "With budgetary cuts at the National Cancer Institute, St. Baldrick's has stepped up to help ensure that research for children with cancer across the country can continue, providing hope to children and their families at COG's more than 200 children's hospitals and medical centers. We are beyond grateful to St. Baldrick's and to all of its wonderful supporters." In addition, the Foundation announced its first St. Baldrick's Genius Award. This unique grant goes to an international federation for a project involving "real-time" precision medicine for patients fighting acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive and frequently incurable blood cancer. More than 270 grant applications were received by the Foundation and reviewed by more than 180 pediatric oncology experts from around the world. After a rigorous peer-review process, the St. Baldrick's Foundation 2014 Summer Grants were awared in the following categories: New for 2014: St. Baldrick's Genius Award
Check out the St. Baldrick's Foundation Summer Grants video to watch researchers learn that they have received funding. To learn more about each grant category visit the Grant Types page on the Foundation's website. For a complete list of institutions receiving grants and a description of the type of grant, please click on each category listed above or email [email protected]. To locate or organize an event or Do What You Want fundraiser in your community, sign-up to shave, donate or volunteer, visit www.StBaldricks.org. Connect with St. Baldrick's on social media via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Vimeo. 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. St. Baldrick's coordinates its signature head-shaving events worldwide where participants collect pledges to shave their heads in solidarity with kids with cancer, raising money to fund research. Since 2005, St. Baldrick's has awarded more than $152 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, and the new International Scholar grants train researchers to work in developing countries. For more information about the St. Baldrick's Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org. |
