Jan 15, 2021
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, has a new funding partner for a program aimed at recruiting and retaining young physician-scientists committed to research in symptom management. Thanks to the generous support of the Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research (RTFCCR), Conquer Cancer has awarded four Career Pathway Grants in Symptom Management.
Located in Switzerland, RTFCCR was established in 2010 by Shawn Stephenson, chair of the foundation’s board, whose family has been significantly affected by cancer. An entrepreneurial and privately endowed foundation, RTFCCR’s main purpose is to support groundbreaking cancer research that has the potential to create immediate and meaningful impact, directly enabling treatment access to patients. Its funding focuses on innovative patient-centered clinical trials. RTFCCR is affiliated with the Rising Tide Foundation, which focuses on freedom in practice by making grants for libertarian, social, and educational programs.
Alexandre Alencar, MD, RTFCCR’s senior scientific program manager, states that the foundation’s robust program includes 47 active and 16 completed grants for projects employing a patient-centered approach that empowers patients to better understand their treatment options and to have a voice in trial design. Grants are made in two main areas: improving patient outcomes and the science of prevention and detection.
Throughout its 10 years of operation, RTFCCR has forged international collaborations with nonprofit organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to offer a competitive grant with the highest potential for near-term patient impact in blood cancers, and the Melanoma Research Alliance, to accelerate the understanding, prevention, and treatment of metastatic melanoma. Conquer Cancer is proud to be added to RTFCCR’s impressive list of partners.
The overall aim of the Conquer Cancer – Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research Career Pathway Grants in Symptom Management is to find effective ways to reduce harmful symptoms and decrease cancer care costs related to unsuccessfully controlled symptoms. The program provides the opportunity for up to 4 years of funding for early-career researchers as they transition from training to principal investigators and begin to establish labs to study symptom management. Funding is also allocated for each researcher’s mentor.
“Conquer Cancer and ASCO have the network needed to attract the right investigator/mentor pairs and extensive experience implementing and monitoring such grants,” Dr. Alencar said. “Our partnership sets the stage to attract other funders in order to increase the reach of this funding mechanism.”
The recipients of the four 2020 awards are:
- Antonio Di Meglio, MD, of Institut Gustave Roussy, mentored by Ines Vaz-Luis, MD, PhD, for the project “A Comprehensive Bio-Behavioral Approach to Tackle Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors”
- Nicole Grogan, MD, of the University of Michigan Cancer Center, mentored by Norah Lynn Henry, MD, PhD, for the project “A Single-Center Phase II Trial to Evaluate Use of Cannabidiol (CBD) to Treat Aromatase Inhibitor-Associated Musculoskeletal Symptoms (AIMSS) in Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients”
- Daniel Lage, MD, MSc, of Massachusetts General Hospital, mentored by Jennifer Temel, MD, for the project “A Care Transition Intervention for Hospitalized Patients with Advanced Cancer”
- Risa Wong, MD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, mentored by John Gore, MD, MS, for the project “SuPPORT: Screening for Psychosocial Distress in Prostate Cancer and Offering Referrals for Treatment”
“These generous grants from the Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research are a promise to patients everywhere, with all types of cancer, that the best doctors are working to ensure their quality of life will remain during cancer treatment,” said Nancy R. Daly, MS, MPH, Conquer Cancer chief executive officer.