About Us News & Press Releases Press Releases A V Foundation SPORE Clinical Trial Supplement Grant Awarded To The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
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A V Foundation SPORE Clinical Trial Supplement Grant Awarded To The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute(Cary, N.C.)--- The V Foundation for Cancer Research, one of the nation’s leading cancer research fundraising organizations, announced that a Supplement to the Lung Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant to support innovative clinical trials was recently awarded to Dr. Jill M. Siegfried at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. The $1 million grant was given in honor of Emily Miner, a 39 year old mother of two who was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Miner received the grant in her honor at the 2009 V Foundation Wine Celebration.
“Some of the most promising translational research is supported by the SPOREs, but there are never sufficient funds from NCI to launch the clinical trials which bring these new drugs and approaches to cancer patients. The V Foundation is meeting that need,” said Dr. Robert Bast, chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee which reviewed the applications for this award. The V Foundation SPORE Clinical Trial Supplement is awarded to individuals who promote interdisciplinary research and move basic research findings from the laboratory to clinical settings, involving both cancer patients and populations at risk of cancer. Dr. Siegfried will use the grant to help support the establishment of new clinical trials for lung cancer patients at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Cancer Centers. Dr. Siegfried’s research which found that estrogen acts as a proliferation agent in the lung, activating lung cancer development through pathways similar to those in breast cancer. Her research also demonstrates that it might be possible to inhibit lung cancer tumor growth with anti-estrogens. Lung cancer is the deadliest type of cancer for both men and women worldwide. More people die of lung cancer each year than of breast, colon and prostate cancer combined. Unfortunately, because symptoms don’t appear in most patients until the disease is advanced, very few patients survive beyond five years. To learn more about The V Foundation and to find out how you can get involved, call 1-800-4-JimmyV or log onto www.jimmyv.org. Follow The V Foundation on Facebook and Twitter at TheVFoundation. About The V Foundation for Cancer ResearchThe V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $90 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all new direct cash donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs. The Foundation, which has received seven consecutive top 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator, awards grants through a competitive awards process strictly supervised by a Scientific Advisory Board. For more information on The V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org. For Immediate Release Contact: |
See you later cancergator!!
Emily Miner is cancer free! Emily Miner gave up smoking at age 6. "I was on a camping trip with my cousins," the 39-year-old Californian recalls. As the family sat around the campfire, her uncle lit a cigar. Intrigued by the sharp scent of the smoke, Emily persuaded him to let her try it. "I took a huge puff and turned green," she says. "That was it for me."
Thirty years later, Emily was a picture of healthy living: She ran a family winery in Napa Valley with her husband, Dave, had two young daughters, and was training for a half-marathon. So the discovery that a deadly disease was ravaging her was nothing short of shocking.
It started out as back pain, a recurring twinge. When in mid January 2008, an MRI showed a tumor on her spine and spots on her lungs, Emily and her oncologist assumed it must be breast cancer that had spread, a diagnosis not unknown in young, healthy women. No one was prepared for the biopsy result, which showed that these were actually symptoms of Stage IV lung cancer. It had metastasized to her spine. In August 2009, Emily Miner bravely took the stage at the V Foundation Wine Celebration and was awarded as the Vintners Grant Recipient. In a touching, heartfelt moment, Emily spoke to the guests and expressed gratitude for their support of lung cancer research in her honor. As a tribute, guests donated over $700,000 to the Fund-A-Need during the auction. The grant will be made in Emily’s name, who was recently featured as the “New Face of Cancer” in Women’s Health magazine. By November of 2009, doctors were able to shrink the cancer into one lobe of her lung and successfully remove all of the cancer and lymph nodes at USCF. In January 2010, Emily Miner awaited her PET scan results ...
Meet Emily Miner -
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” he informed me that the report stated that the scan was "ESSENTIALLY NEGATIVE" meaning there was NOTHING there. Zero, zip, zilch, nada! Woo hoo! Even though I knew it in my gut, there is nothing like getting confirmation. So I guess that now really officially means I am cancer free!. “I still can't believe that there is no tumor in my body anymore. It is very surreal to me and I'm not sure that I have processed it yet. “I am forever thankful for all of the love and support you have all shown to me and my family. I know we could not have made it this far without all of you.”
