Our 2023 Initiatives.
The 2022-2023 funding cycle was our most successful cycle yet! Because of the generosity of our donor community, we were able to fund a record-breaking 14 grants. Our 2023 applicant pool was incredibly impressive, full of breakthrough research studies, thoughtful treatments and supportive patient services. We are thrilled to introduce you to some of our 2022-2023 grant recipients below.
Research Initiatives
Using the Immune System to Treat Infant Leukemia.
At UCSF, Elliot Steiglitz, MD is researching a break-through treatment for juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), a rare type of childhood leukemia typically diagnosed in children 2 to 4-years-old. Dr. Steiglitz hopes to use CAR-T cells to recognize and bind with surface antigens on JMML cells, creating a highly targeted and effective treatment therapy that will improve the outcomes of the youngest and most vulnerable cancer patients.
Saving Lives by Detecting Therapy Responses Faster.
At Stanford, Alice Fan, MD is shortening the time frame required to determine if a cancer therapy is effective, enabling providers to save lives by finding the right therapy faster. Most patients only receive 2 types of therapies during their treatment, as the current approach to measuring a change in tumor size requires waiting until 3 months after treatment. Dr. Fan’s research will combine evaluation of cytokines in the blood (small proteins that send signals to cancer cells) and novel imaging techniques, at earlier time points, to give these patients more effective treatment options, faster.
Reimaging HER2 Receptors in Urothelial Cancer.
At UCSF, doctors Xiaolin Zhu and Vadim Koshkin are building a genomic profile of bladder and urinary tract tumors that will help predict a patient’s response to HER2 targeted therapies. HER2 is currently a very successful treatment for breast and GI cancers, but instead of being amplified, it is mutated or altered in urothelial cancer tumors. This genomic profile will help determine the clinical impact of the alterations of HER2, enabling providers to choose the right drug, for the right patient, at the right time.
Developing Biomarkers for Immunotherapy.
At Stanford, Dr. Renumathy Dhanasekaran, MD is building on her research from last year’s Cancer League grant. She has found great success thus far in developing a non-invasive biomarker that helps predict a patient’s response to immunotherapy. This year, she will use CODEX to see if the information about which patients will respond to immunotherapy can be codified in the spatial location and interactions of the immune cell. Deciphering this is key to identifying the right patient for immunotherapy.
Interrogating Cellular Crosstalk in Human Brain Metastasis.
At UCSF, Hugo Velozo Gonzalez, PhD is working to further understand and recreate complex cellular circuits linked to metastasis formation in brain cancer(BrMs). Dr. Velozo’s groundbreaking research will study tumor-host interactions in BrMs by assembling tumor organoids from brain tumors and stem cells to build a multicellular 3D co-culture.
Navigating Long-Term Care of Childhood Survivors.
At UCSF, Robert Goldsby, MD is integrating the benefits of mobile applications into long-term cancer care with the development of The Survivor App. By creating an individualized, consolidated and easily retrievable summary of a patient’s cancer history, users, particularly childhood survivors, can better manage their long-term follow-up care across providers and time horizons. This transparency empowers cancer survivors with the information they need to stay healthier, for longer.
Creating Density Sensing CAR-T Cells.
At Stanford, Rogelio Hernandez-Lopez, PhD plans to overcome the challenges of CAR-T cell treatment by creating a two-receptor circuit on the already re-engineered CAR-T cell. He is adding a Synthetic Notch Receptor (SynNotch) to better control when to express CAR-T, therefore only killing antigen dense cancer cells, not normal human cells.
Translating Radioligand Therapy to NETs.
At Stanford, Irmina Anna Elliott, MD is studying and testing if an existing FDA approved radioligand therapy, administered by intravenous infusion, can be used to treat lung neuroendocrine tumors (NETs)that can’t be surgically removed.
Patient Services Initiatives
Improving Clinical Trial Diversity.
Lazarex Cancer Foundation bridges the financial, emotional and physical gap between cancer patients and the clinical trials they wish to participate in. For patients who qualify for these trials but cannot financially or logistically afford to participate, Lazarex CARE program grants access to this care by providing assistance with clinical trial navigation, reimbursing trial related travel costs, and partnering with at-risk communities to mobilize much needed resources. Lazarex is a publicly funded charity and has served over 7,000 patients in cancer clinical trials with the goal of improving cancer health outcomes and clinical trial diversity and enrollment.
Healing Meals for Health.
Culinary Angels is a mostly-volunteer organization that provides organic, healthy meals to people going through a cancer challenge. Meals are delivered at no cost throughout much of the East Bay to both cancer patients and their caregivers. Their goal is to deliver nutrient-dense meals and nutrition education to underserved individuals throughout the community. Since their launch in 2016, Culinary Angels has prepared and delivered over 9,500 meals to those in need and utilizes 45-50 volunteers every week executing this effort.
Supporting and Honoring Care Partners.
At UCSF, Michael Rabow, MD is working to streamline resources for family caregivers, now called “care partners,” to support their own emotional resiliency when caring for a loved one during the cancer journey. The ultimate goal is to create a training program, and an annual online guide, to better equip care partners with effective self-help skills and strategies. This program will fill a much-needed gap in supporting those who often face insurmountable stress when caring for a loved one with cancer.
Cancer Care via Transportation Services.
John Muir provides access to cancer care for low-income, uninsured residents referred by a primary care provider from La Clinica de la Raza in Central/East Contra Costa County, Solano and Alameda Counties. The Cancer League is helping support transportation to/from medical appointments for approximately 1,000 patients through their partnership with Uber and Lyft.
Supporting Childhood Cancer.
Camp Okizu helps all members of families affected by childhood cancer to heal through peer support, respite, mentoring, and recreational programs. Due to the financial burden that often accompanies a pediatric cancer diagnosis, all of Camp Okizu’s programs are offered free-of-charge to the families they serve.
Chemotherapy Care Packages.
The Carol Ann Read Center for Breast Cancer provides care packages to their chemotherapy patients to help lessen the physical effects of the therapy and provide comfort to patients as they progress through treatment. These thoughtfully curated care packages will include ice gloves and booties, a small cooler, moisturizer, tea tree oil and sunscreen.
