TargetCancer, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for rare and lesser known cancers, has awarded a significant grant to a leading researcher of gastrointestinal cancers and has established research fellowships through Harvard Medical School.
TargetCancer awarded a $40,000 grant to Dr. Nabeel Bardeesy, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and head of the Bardeesy Lab at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Dr. Bardeesy's grant will specifically fund research into cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile duct that has seen no significant therapeutic improvements over the past decade.
Dr. Bardeesy's laboratory focuses on the development of models to study the genetic and cellular alterations driving the progression of gastrointestinal cancers. These models enable the identification of the critical genes required for cancers to form and to reach more advanced stages, such as metastasis. In addition they provide an understanding of how different combinations of abnormal cancer genes work together. By defining the molecular program for the growth of this cancer, there is true potential for effective treatments for cholangiocarcinoma and other cancers to become a reality.
TargetCancer also established the TargetCancer Medical Student Research Fund at Harvard Medical School. A $25,000 grant from TargetCancer will fund two fellowships each summer for the next three years.
These fellowships will be awarded to medical students interested in studying rare cancers, as well as new and innovative approaches to treating them. This grant will help to support an elite group of medical students at one of the earliest points of their training, creating future leaders in rare cancer research.
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