DALLAS, Oct. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Mary Kay FoundationSM announced today its 2018 cancer grant recipients. The Foundation awards these grants annually to top research institutions in the United States that are conducting innovative research to better understand cancers that affect women. Since 1996, the Foundation has awarded more than $28 million in grants to universities and medical centers around the country.
One in three women is diagnosed with cancer in her lifetime, and this year alone, more than 800,000 women are expected to be diagnosed, according to the American Cancer Society. With cancer being the second-leading cause of death in women, The Mary Kay Foundation has made it a priority to support research of cancers affecting women at U.S. medical schools and research facilities.
After reviewing more than 160 applications, The Mary Kay FoundationSM Research Review Committee awarded $100,000 grants to 12 cancer research institutions across the country. This year’s grant recipients include the following leading research institutions:
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
- Weill Cornell Medicine
- Washington University in St. Louis
- University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
- University of Wisconsin – Madison
- UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
- University of North Dakota
- University of Chicago
“We have seen previous grants lead to innovative breakthroughs in the study of breast, uterine, cervical and ovarian cancers and are thrilled with this year’s recipients,” said Michael Lunceford, President of The Mary Kay FoundationSM Board of Directors. “The Foundation’s commitment to cancer research is anchored by our founder’s legacy and carried on by the passion and support of our company and independent sales force to someday find a cure.”
The 2018 grants will support research in a wide range of areas. At UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, researchers are working to rationalize a precision medicine approach to ovarian cancer therapy. Medical scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will be doing research in hopes of expanding the use of immunotherapy to breast cancers that are not currently responsive to immunotherapy treatment.
“This year we have seen a push for research regarding immunotherapy and are excited to see the results of this groundbreaking treatment method,” said Lunceford. “By continuing support for these scientists and institutions we know we are continuing to better and enrich the lives of women everywhere.”
Click here for more information about The Mary Kay FoundationSM cancer grants at work and a full list of the 2018 Cancer Research Grant recipients.
About The Mary Kay Foundation℠
The Mary Kay FoundationSM was created in 1996 and its two-fold mission includes funding women’s cancer research and ending domestic violence. Over the course of more than two decades, The Mary Kay FoundationSM has awarded more than $78 million to women’s shelters and domestic violence service providers, as well as cancer research programs and related causes throughout the United States. To learn more about The Mary Kay FoundationSM and its mission, visit marykayfoundation.org or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).
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