Stupid Strong Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce that funds are now available through its newly formed Seed Research Grant Program. This institutional grant will fund proposals at a level up to $100,000 per award. The purpose of the seed grants is to provide pilot funds for Research in both basic and clinical gastric cancer-related problems. It is expected that this seed money will allow for the development of nationally recognized identification methods and innovative, customized treatment techniques.
This inaugural year’s recipient is Dr. Jaffer Ajani of The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The $100,000 grant from Stupid Strong Charitable Foundation will be used solely and exclusively for Dr. Ajani’s research by incubating his recommended Intraperitoneal Program. Gastric cancer (GEA) particularly spreads to peritoneal cavity (which is the space in our abdomen where colon, small intestines, stomach, and other organs reside). Once GEA spreads to the peritoneal cavity, the cancer becomes terminal for the patient. They are unable to eat, lose muscle mass, require repeated fluid removal, have electrolyte imbalances, and suffer from malnutrition. Current research is very limited. The team at M.D. Anderson has assembled an outstanding group of scientists to carry out extensive investigations to identify new targets for therapy for these patients.
We are honored to partner with Dr. Jaffer Ajani on his important work related to Gastro-Esophageal Cancers. We are excited to see meaningful progress for this critically under-funded cancer type. With this gift, we are honoring our Founder and Hero Candace Netzer, who was a patient of Dr. Ajani’s before she passed away in 2017 from her own intraperitoneal complications associated with this dreaded disease.
Thank you for the important work of Dr. Ajani and the center and for the continued commitment to Making Cancer History©.
Read MD Anderson’s 2020 July Impact Report