In the newest rounds of grants marking its 20th anniversary, Hyundia Hope of Wheels 501(c)(3), celebrates National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month awarding Dr. Darrell Yamashiro of Columbia University Irving Medical Center with a $2.5 million Hyundai Quantum grant.
| NEW YORK, /PRNewswire/ -- In the newest rounds of grants marking its 20th anniversary, Hyundai Hope On Wheels® 501(c)(3), celebrates National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month awarding Dr. Darrell Yamashiro of Columbia University Irving Medical Center with a $2.5 million Hyundai Quantum grant. This institution is one of 4 recipients of this year’s award, which is the largest grant category given to support research on pediatric cancers with low survival rates. The Hyundai Quantum grant will be officially presented at Columbia University Irving Medical Center on Wednesday, September 5th, at 2:00 p.m. The award will be accepted by Dr. Yamashiro, Principal Investigator on the grant, Co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Julia Glade Bender (of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), Dr. Andrea Califano (of Columbia University Irving Medical Center), and Dr. Jovana Pavisic, a fellow at Columbia University Irving Medical Center who will participate in the grant. Childhood cancer researchers depend largely on private funding for groundbreaking therapies to get off the ground and to advance treatment approaches to the next phase of testing, ultimately, bringing better therapies and cures to kids with cancer. With this latest award, Columbia University Irving Medical Center has received nearly $2.6 million in grants from Hope On Wheels, which has contributed a total of $145 million toward cancer research at academic medical centers throughout the U.S. “Throughout the country, talented doctors are working tirelessly to help kids fight cancer by conducting research or providing bedside care,” said Scott Fink, chairman, Hyundai Hope On Wheels Board of Directors. “Our goal at Hope On Wheels is to provide these doctors with the grant funds they need to perform their lifesaving work.” Osteosarcoma is the most commonly diagnosed bone tumor in children and adolescents, yet no new treatment approaches have successfully been introduced in nearly 40 years. The Hyundai Quantum Collaboration Grant will enable Dr. Darrell Yamashiro and Dr. Julia Glade Bender to lead a bi-coastal team of researchers who aim to identify treatments that can neutralize the cancer’s growth and metastasis. Patients with osteosarcoma have not benefited from recent breakthroughs like immunotherapy or DNA sequencing and require a shift in the understanding and approach to therapy. To do this, the team will leverage novel cancer systems biology approaches that model the cellular logic of cancer cells, using supercomputers to identify optimal treatment options for each patient. The Hyundai Quantum Collaboration Research Award is a milestone for Hyundai Hope on Wheels and for children with cancer. This research is a collaboration between four of the premier Pediatric Oncology centers in the country, led by Columbia University Irving Medical Center, along with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and University of California, San Francisco. At Columbia, the team will target osteosarcoma, the most commonly diagnosed bone tumor in children and adolescents. We will use novel computational approaches to model the biology of cancer cells, in order to identify optimal treatment options for each patient,” says Dr. Darell Yamashiro, Director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation at Columbia. During the event, children being treated at Columbia University Irving Medical Center who are battling cancer will participate in the program’s signature Handprint Ceremony, in which they’ll dip their hands in paint and place their handprints on the Hope Vehicle, a white Sante Fe. As “Every Handprint Tells a Story,” the colorful handprints of brave pediatric cancer fighters represent their individual and collective hopes, dreams and journeys. From now through the end of September, the Hope Vehicle will travel nationwide to honor kids battling cancer, raise awareness of the disease, and to inspire hope toward a cure. Supporters are encouraged to visit the HHOW website (www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org) to view this year’s grant winners along with stories of brave cancer survivors and passionate doctor-researchers. Once there, supporters may add their handprint to a wall of hope to show their support for the cause. They will also find information on additional ways to support HHOW through social media efforts and events throughout the month. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels, twitter.com/HopeOnWheels or instagram.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels. HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hyundai-hope-on-wheels-presents-hope-and-heroes-columbia-university-irving-medical-center-with-2-5-million-hyundai-quantum-grant-to-support-pediatric-cancer-research-300707227.html SOURCE Hyundai Hope On Wheels |
