SAN ANTONIO – Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute is one of two institutes in the United States dedicated solely to pediatric cancer research and recently, they were awarded millions of dollars to advance their research.
“The goal of this institute is threefold. To find new therapeutics, new treatment for pediatric cancer patients. Also, to improve their quality of life and education,” Manjeet Rao, PhD, professor and deputy director with the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute at UT Health San Antonio said.
UT Health San Antonio was awarded approximately $16.4 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas or CPRIT over the past six months. About $10.4 million of it is going to the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, or to some area of pediatric cancer research.
“The CPRIT money will play a very important role. This is given to one of our scientists here who works on Ewing Sarcoma. Ewing Sarcoma is a soft tissue sarcoma that affects little kids and it’s very nasty. Once it’s metastasized to different organs there is no cure for it. So, this money will help us understand what makes this Ewing Sarcoma cells not to respond to drugs, why they don’t respond to drugs, and what can we do about it,” Rao said.
Source: UT Health San Antonio awarded roughly $16.4M to advance cancer research