Foundation Continues to Grow Support and Funding to Fight Stomach Cancer – One of the Deadliest Types of Cancers
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The Gastric Cancer Foundation (GCF) [Facebook], a national organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with stomach cancer and finding a cure, is pleased to announce recent major milestones. These include a research partnership with the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA); the appointment of three new GCF board members; and a confirmed timeline for awarding newly funded research grants for upper gastrointestinal tract (GI) cancers.
"We are fortunate that in the shadow of a very difficult year, we have continued our strong forward momentum," said Wayne Feinstein, chairman of the Board of Directors, GCF. "After the sad passing of our founder, JP Gallagher, we have strategically appointed three important new board members, developed a significant research partnership with the AGA and solidified our research grant program. The best way to fight stomach cancer is to grow awareness, fund research and develop energetic partnerships. We're proud to achieve all three in 2013."
GCF confirmed three new Board members:
- K. Alice Leung, founder and principal of Sapientiae, advises biotech companies and investors in corporate strategy, business and commercial development.
- Hossein Ghanbari, PhD, co-founder, CEO, chief scientific officer and chairman of the board of Panacea Pharmaceuticals, focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative therapeutic and diagnostic products.
- Paul Gottsegen, senior vice president, chief marketing & strategy officer of Mindtree, a global information technology solutions company.
Following the first meeting of the new Board in August, the AGA Research Foundation partnership was approved. In 2014, GCF will jointly award the first "AGA-GCF Research Scholar Award in Gastric and Esophageal Cancer" to fund young investigators with the tools needed to focus their research on GI tract cancers. The Institute will match GCF's commitment of $1,125,000, resulting in a total endowment of $2,250,000.
Members of the AGA Research Awards Panel and representatives of the Gastric Cancer Foundation will jointly review proposals and select award recipients. Applications are due by Dec. 13, 2013. Funding will commence in July 2014. For additional information, please visitwww.gastro.org/foundation.
About Gastric (Stomach) Cancer
- Worldwide, gastric (stomach) cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. The National Cancer Institute estimates that in the United States, 21,600 new cases of stomach cancer will be diagnosed, and more than 10,990 Americans will die from the disease in 2013.
- It is the most prevalent cancer that gets the least amount of support – both from research dollars and community support.
- Stomach cancer is ranked 27th in National Cancer Institute research dollars.
- Stomach cancer receives less than one-half of one percent (0.4%) of federal cancer research dollars.
- There are currently only 17 Stomach Cancer grants out of 923 total outstanding grants. [1]
About the Gastric Cancer Foundation
Since 2009, the Gastric Cancer Foundation (GCF) has led a call-to-action to build awareness of stomach cancer and to expand resources and understanding of the disease. In 2011, GCF launched the first national Gastric Cancer Registry, a data bank of information and tissue samples that fuels research to find new strategies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. GCF is also primary contributor to a project that is creating a digital version of the gastric cancer genome based on DNA sequencing. GCF is devoted to funding stomach cancer research in pursuit of a cure. For more information about GCF or to make a donation, please visit www.gastriccancer.org.