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- Posted Tuesday December 3, 2013
Melanoma Research Alliance and the Hidary Foundation fund research study of melanoma genomics
TGen is one of 5 scientific institutions to share $1 million to spur better outcomes for patients with acral melanoma, and provide breakthroughs through the use of genome sequencing
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Dec. 3, 2013 - The
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is
one of five institutes sharing a $1 million research grant to study
the genetics of acral melanoma, the Melanoma Research Alliance
(MRA) and the Hidary Foundation announced today.
MRA is the leading private funder of melanoma research, and the
Hidary Foundation is the philanthropic arm of technology
entrepreneur Jack Hidary and his family.
Two Team Science Awards will fund new work at TGen, Kaiser
Permanente Research Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), and
Vanderbilt University.
Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer and one of the
fastest growing cancers in the U.S. This study will focus on
acral melanoma, which is a subtype of the cancer that typically
forms on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, or under the
fingernails, and has a 10-20 percent lower survival rate than
non-acral cutaneous melanoma.
The research will delve into the genetic drivers of acral
melanoma; insight that is crucially needed to better understand how
new advances in cutaneous melanoma treatment can be applied to
acral patients.
The cost of genomic sequencing has come down significantly.
Five years ago, it would have cost millions of dollars to perform
whole genome sequencing on a few dozen patients. Today the
cost is down to a few thousand dollars per individual, and
sequencing can be performed in days. This enables researchers
to now use sequencing to measure tumor-specific alterations in
chromosome structure, point-mutations and gene expression via a
combination of whole genome, whole exome and RNA sequencing.
"We have made significant progress in the fight against melanoma
since the MRA was founded in 2007," said Debra Black, Co-Founder
and Chair of the Melanoma Research Alliance. "This
partnership with the Hidary Foundation underscores the need for
further research into melanoma, and especially melanoma subtypes
such as acral melanoma, in order to develop more effective
treatment options for all melanoma patients."
"Despite recent progress in defining the genetic basis of
cutaneous melanoma, comprehensive studies are lacking in patients
with acral melanoma. These two Team Science Awards bring
together the diverse expertise needed to define in all patients the
underlying cause of this disease. The insights gained will likely
lead to future personalized treatment approaches," said Dr. David
B. Solit, M.D., of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Chairman
of MRA's Grant Review Committee.
"Genetic sequencing has decreased significantly in cost and time
and can now be used as a critical tool to investigate cancer, and
based on our experiences in technology, we believe that whole exome
and whole genome sequencing of larger sets of patients may be key
to new breakthroughs in the fight against cancer," said Jack
Hidary, Chairman of the Hidary Foundation. "Our partnership
with the Melanoma Research Alliance will advance this important
work on melanoma. The key to genomic studies is not just
sequencing, but the analysis of the data. These teams will
focus on unraveling the genetic signature of this cancer, and this
will extend their work to other cancers as we collectively build
greater genomic capabilities."
The Hidary family's interest in acral melanoma was spurred by the
discovery and successful treatment of the family's patriarch, David
J. Hidary.
Recipients of these competitive Team Science Awards include one
team led by Dr. Maryam Asgari, M.D., MPH, of the Kaiser Permanente
Research Institute, which also includes multiple researchers from
UCSF. Members of the second team, led by Dr. Jeffrey Sosman, M.D.,
of Vanderbilt University, include investigators from Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and TGen.
"This is a prime example of how MRA helps key philanthropic
partners engage with the scientific community incentivizing 'teams'
of investigators to pool their academic and intellectual resources
for patient benefit," said Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen President and
Research Director. "Genomic studies of skin (cutaneous) melanoma
has provided important insights tied to direct clinical
benefit. However, acral melanoma is essentially
unstudied. We are grateful to the Hidary family for joining
MRA in an effort to expand our knowledge in hopes of ultimately
better targeting treatments for this deadly disease."
With these latest awards, MRA has now awarded more than $49
million to leading researchers seeking to better treat, prevent,
detect, and stage melanoma. Due to the ongoing support of its
founders, MRA devotes 100 percent of every dollar raised to
melanoma research. MRA's rigorous peer-review process ensures
that the organization's research dollars are allocated to projects
with the potential to affect near-term improvements in the paradigm
of care.
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About the Hidary Foundation
The Hidary Foundation catalyzes positive change in several
sectors. The Foundation has a focus on promoting innovative
K-12 educational programs, particularly those that focus on
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and those
that use project-based learning approaches. The Foundation
has also supported the promotion of entrepreneurship both through
programs that support microfinance focusing on low-income
individuals who wish to start companies as well as youth
entrepreneurship. The members of the Hidary family are all
entrepreneurs in fields ranging from technology and clean energy to
real estate, fashion and education. The Foundation's work on
cancer will focus on the use of emerging tools such as genomic
sequencing in the fight against cancer. This study with the
MRA will be supported by members of the Hidary family including
David and Aimee Hidary, Jack Hidary, Murray Hidary, Richard and
Esther Hidary, and Michael and Sarah Hidary.
About the Melanoma Research Alliance
MRA is a public charity formed in 2007 under the auspices of the
Milken Institute, with the generous founding support of Debra and
Leon Black. MRA is poised to build on recent momentum in the
field, accelerating the pace of scientific discovery and
translation in order to eliminate suffering and death due to
melanoma. To date, MRA has supported the research of 171
investigators at 80 institutions in 14 countries. MRA's
ability to fundwide-ranging research in melanoma is amplified
by unique multi-faceted collaborations and partnerships with
individuals, private foundations and corporations. Visit www.curemelanoma.org for more
information.
Media Contacts:
Anreder & Company
212-532-3232
Steven S. Anreder - [email protected]
Michael Wichman - [email protected]
Marissa Maybee (MRA) - [email protected]
202-336-8922
*
About TGen
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is focused
on helping patients with cancer, neurological disorders and
diabetes, through cutting edge translational research (the process
of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen
physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of
both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children.
Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical
communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial
contribution to help our patients through efficiency and
effectiveness of the translational process. For more information,
visit:www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
syoz[email protected]
