Sarcoma Foundation of America Announces 2016 Research Grants

DAMASCUS, Md. — June 2, 2016 – The Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA), an organization dedicated to increased awareness and research for sarcoma, today announced that it has awarded $400,000 in research funds to deserving scientists at institutions across the United States as part of its 2016 SFA Research Grant program. Eight research grants, each worth $50,000, have been awarded to researchers who have made it their mission to study sarcoma, a rare cancer that arises in the body’s connective tissue. All proposals are peer reviewed by the SFA Medical Advisory Board who award the grants to the best, most promising research toward the cure for sarcoma.

“The Sarcoma Foundation of America is excited to award our 2016 research grants to a group of outstanding scientists. We are impressed with the research that they are performing and thank them for their efforts to uncover the next big discovery in sarcoma,” said SFA Chief Executive Officer Bert E. Thomas, IV, PhD, MBA. “We know that their contributions will increase the scientific knowledge of sarcoma that will lead us to the cure for this devastating disease.”

The Sarcoma Foundation of America began its research grant program in 2003. Since that time, the Foundation has invested more than $7 million in research. More information on SFA’s research program can be found here.

Dr. Richard and Valerie Aronsohn Memorial Research Award

Eleanor Chen, MD, PhD, University of Washington

“Next Generation CRISPR Phenotypic Screens for Identification of Novel Therapeutic Targets in Rhabdomyosarcoma”

Dr. Richard and Valerie Aronsohn Memorial Research Award

David A. Liebner, MD, The Ohio State University

“Predicting Chemotherapy Response in Sarcoma using Molecular and Imaging Data Collected in a Digital Registry”

Jeffrey Thornton Memorial Research Award

Jared Barrott, PhD, University of Utah

“Modeling Epithelioid Sarcomagenesis in the Mouse”

Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma Co-Founder Carl Firetto Memorial Research Award

William Karl Decker, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine

“Outbred Canine Model of Adjuvant Immunotherapy for Angiosarcoma”

Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma Co-Founder Bill Suit Memorial Research Award

Lionel Mu-Lo Chow, MD, PhD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

“A Novel Genetically Engineered Mouse Model for Angiosarcoma: Molecular Characterization and Comparison to Human Angiosarcoma to Develop Targeted Therapy”

STL Cure Sarcoma Research Award

Peter Scacheri, PhD, Case Western Reserve University — School of Medicine

“Epigenomic characterization of paired primary and metastatic osteosarcoma tumors to define novel therapeutic targets”

Sarcoma Foundation of America Research Award

Anthony Faber, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University

“Targeting EWS-FLI1 Ewing Sarcoma through a rationale targeted therapy combination”

Sarcoma Foundation of America Research Award

Kurt Weiss, MD, University of Pittsburgh

“Using In Vivo Fluorescence Angiography to Evaluate the Impact of Small Molecule Anti-Metastatic Inhibitors of Osteosarcoma”