PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer, has announced the awarding of over $4 million in new medical research grants in the first cycle of 2012.
The grants will extend to doctors and researchers, as well as medical and graduate students, at 34 institutions and universities in 19 states across the country, totaling 48 new grants. Throughout the course of the year, the Foundation plans to release over $10 million in research funding.
Following in the footsteps of Foundation creator, Alexandra "Alex" Scott, who insisted that "all children want their tumors to go away," Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation strives to fund research projects that focus on all types of childhood cancers, not just the type that Alex had.
The current grant cycle released awards in four categories: Innovation, Young Investigator and Epidemiology to doctors and researchers, and Pediatric Oncology Student Training (POST) awards to medical and graduate students. Beginning in 2011, along with awarding grants to doctors, nurses and researchers at leading institutions, the Foundation began providing awards to medical and graduate students with an interest in childhood cancer research. The students continue their work in the laboratory over the summer with a mentor to further their interest in the field.
This grant cycle focuses on four types of grants:
1. Innovation Awards providing critical and significant seed funding designed for experienced investigators with a novel and promising approach to finding causes and cures for childhood cancers.
2. Epidemiology Awards designed to support the research of investigators who have a specific focus on the epidemiology of childhood cancer, early detection of childhood cancer or the prevention of childhood cancer.
3. Young Investigator Awards designed to fill the critical need for start up funds for new researchers and physicians to pursue promising research ideas.
4. Pediatric Oncology Student Training (POST) designed to enable medical and graduate students to gain experience in the lab of an established researcher in the field of pediatric oncology over the summer months.
One local doctor will benefit from a grant. An Innovation Award was given to Dr. Alex Huang of CASE Western Reserve University. Huang will utilize the $200,000 grant to examine brain tumors.
Believing that quality of care and life for childhood cancer patients can be equally integral to their treatment and survival, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation also funds the research of nurses. The Foundation is now accepting applications for Nurse Researcher Grants.
In addition to the first round of grants, the Foundation will begin accepting applications for the 'A' Award and Bridge Grants on July 2. Bridge Grants were introduced earlier this year and are intended to keep scientist's projects on track while they reapply for funding from the
National Institutes of Health to ensure novel childhood cancer research projects are not compromised. For more information on the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation grant programs, visit ALSFgrants.org
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