Stand Up To Cancer And The Farrah Fawcett Foundation Announce New Collaboration To Fund A $1 Million Grant

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Sep 18, 2013, 10:00 ET

Translational Research Team Grant Will Focus on Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-Related Cancers

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the Farrah Fawcett Foundation today announced plans to fund a collaborative translational research team grant focused on human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers. The SU2C-Farrah Fawcett Foundation Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Translational Research Team Grant will commit one million dollars over a three-year period to fund a research project that addresses critical problems in HPV-related cancers and can deliver near-term patient benefit via a multidisciplinary research Team.

"We're so pleased to partner with SU2C in this exciting research project. Farrah wanted to 'make a difference' in the fight against cancer and I believe that this collaboration of leading researchers in the field of HPV-related cancers will do just that," said Alana Stewart, president of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation.

HPV is believed to be responsible for virtually all cervical cancers and many anal, vaginal, vulvar, penile cancers, and oropharyngeal cancers.

"We are proud to partner with the Farrah Fawcett Foundation to support urgently needed research on HPV-related cancers," said Sung Poblete, President and CEO of Stand Up To Cancer. "Through collaboration, we increase our chances for success and accelerate the pace at which developments in the lab can reach patients in the clinic, which is at the very core of the SU2C mission."

On Stand Up To Cancer's behalf, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), its scientific partner, will issue a call for ideas later this month.

A SU2C-Farrah Fawcett Foundation Joint Scientific Advisory Committee will solicit and review research proposals that focus on achieving near-term clinical benefit to patients with HPV-related cancers and that include two lead researchers and their groups from within one research institution or across two collaborating institutions. Proposed projects should be multidisciplinary and may focus on: new promising treatment modalities; investigation of molecular mechanisms by which HPV causes cancer to develop and metastasize; development of a new generation of targeted treatments; or, improved or novel methods of either diagnosing HPV-related cancers or monitoring the effects of treatment.

To learn more, visit http://www.standup2cancer.org and http://www.thefarrahfawcettfoundation.org

About Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by film and media leaders who utilize the industry's resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to increase awareness about progress being made in the fight against the disease. As SU2C's scientific partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., conduct rigorous, competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress.

Current members of the SU2C Council of Founders and Advisors (CFA) include Talk Show Host, Journalist and well-known Cancer Advocate Katie Couric; Sherry Lansing, Chairperson of the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Board of Directors and Founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation; EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen; EIF Senior Vice President Kathleen Lobb; Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz of the Robertson Schwartz Agency; Pamela Oas Williams, President of Laura Ziskin Productions and Executive Producer of Stand Up To Cancer's In-house Production Team, and Nonprofit Executive Ellen Ziffren. All current members of the CFA were co-producers of the 2012 televised special. The late co-founder Laura Ziskin executive produced both the Sept. 5, 2008, and Sept. 10, 2010, broadcasts. SU2C was formally launched on May 27, 2008. Sung Poblete, Ph.D., R.N., has served as SU2C's president and CEO since 2011.

About the Farrah Fawcett Foundation
The mission of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation is to provide funding for cutting edge cancer research, to support prevention and awareness, and to help those struggling with cancer today.

Farrah Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006. She established the Foundation before her death in 2009. For more information, visit www.thefarrahfawcettfoundation.org.

SOURCE Stand Up To Cancer