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

The Hyundai Hope On Wheels Foundation embarks on a nationwide tour this September in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to award $14.1 million to 38 researchers, surpassing $145 million in total giving.

Its theme "Every Handprint Tells a Story" details the bravery of kids fighting cancer, their families and the ground-breaking research of doctors fighting for a cure.

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Hyundai Hope On Wheels

Sep 05, 2018, 10:56 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In the newest rounds of grants marking its 20^th 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 5^th, 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 Hope On Wheels® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. HHOW is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 835 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $145 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through 835 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a 5-year/60,000-mile fully-transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.

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