CURE Childhood Cancer is pleased to present CURE Childhood Cancer’s 2008-2009 Annual Report. We are thrilled and proud to be able to report to you on the progress we made over the past year on behalf of children with cancer as a result of your support.
As you know, finding a cure for cancers that affect children is our highest priority. To that end, your support enabled us to invest nearly $1.2 million in six specific research projects aimed at better understanding the genetic and biological mechanisms through which childhood cancers arrive and further developing therapies aimed at beating these cancers. CURE’s investment paid off last year with an exciting discovery of a new target in cancer cells. Finding a way to attack that new target could lead to improved treatments for children with leukemia and other cancers.
Additionally, CURE funded scientists made significant progress in research relating to medulloblastoma, the most common brain tumor among children. This research uncovered a link between medulloblastoma and high levels of a gene known as wild-type p53-induced phosphatase or WIP1 (pronounced whip one). With CURE’s funding, scientists are working to establish why WIP1 seems to cause medulloblastoma in children and why WIP1 seems to protect cancer cells. A compound has been identified that appears to prevent WIP1 from working and seems to stop the growth of cells in test tubes. Our goal is to determine if the compound will be an effective therapy for children with this devastating form of brain cancer.
Discoveries that result in children’s lives saved take time, but they do happen. Thank you for being a part of significant discoveries that offer hope to children with cancer.
Of course, while working on scientific discoveries, CURE is focused on supporting the children battling cancer today and their families. Our efforts, outlined in the Annual Report, are aimed at addressing the critical and urgent needs of patients and their families because we believe families most need crisis oriented support.
Your generosity makes our work possible. We truly cannot thank you enough.
View the CURE Annual Report
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