Kay Yow Cancer Fund awards $1 million grant for ovarian cancer trials
Nov 18, 2011
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund on Monday awarded a $1 million grant to enable clinical ovarian cancer trials at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research, awarded the grant to supplement a Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston which is recognized as one of the foremost cancer research centers globally.
The grant will facilitate innovative research in the prevention, detection and treatment of ovarian cancer.
“Our mission is to fund research projects covering the entire spectrum of women’s cancers,” said Connie Rogers-Newcome, Kay Yow Cancer Fund president. “This particular grant meets the highest standards of scientific merit and will allow years of research and dedication to be put directly into clinical trials, which was Coach Yow’s dream.”
On behalf of the Kay Yow Fund, The V Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board solicits proposals directly related to women’s cancers and recommends projects to fund. The grant will enable clinical trials after 10 years of research.
“Our group is extremely appreciative of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund donating money to support our SPORE projects,” said MD Anderson’s David M. Gershenson, M.D., chair of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology. “If ovarian cancer is detected in the earliest stage, it is very treatable and curable in up to 90 percent of women. However, in later stages, the chances of recovery are much less. There is a big need to improve our treatments and develop more targeted therapies.”
