American Cancer Society Receives Landmark $9.1 Million Gift from Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation to Fund Groundbreaking Cancer Stem Cell Research, Create Consortium

ATLANTA, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Cancer Society (ACS) today announced a landmark grant of $9.1 million from the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, to establish the American Cancer Society Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Cancer Stem Cell Consortium.  This pioneering new project will be a six-year initiative supporting the peer-reviewed work of up to 15 researchers and will rapidly accelerate scientific discovery of cancer stem cell research.

"The Consortium will bring together investigators from institutions across the US working on shared, focused research questions to advance the understanding of cancer stem cells and to leverage this knowledge to design and test strategies to prevent cancer stem cells from contributing to metastasis, treatment resistance, and disease recurrence," said Dr. Lynne Elmore, American Cancer Society Senior Scientific Director of the Consortium. "Importantly, this program is designed to provide unique opportunities for early-career researchers, who will be mentored by more established scientists, as well as to strengthen and grow the cancer stem cell research field."

"The Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation's generous, multi-year gift will propel scientific discovery in the field of cancer stem cell research through a new, unparalleled collaboration model," said Dr. Karen Knudsen, American Cancer Society Chief Executive Officer. "This innovative work has the potential to lead to future groundbreaking clinical discoveries that will improve patient outcomes and, ultimately, save more lives from cancer."

A nationally recognized cancer researcher with an expertise in cancer stem cells will be selected to lead the Consortium.  A request for applications will be released this month announcing the opportunities for investigators with innovative cancer stem cell concepts to apply.  The Consortium Leader and all researchers will be selected through peer review, and our goal is to convene a community that is balanced in career rank, diverse in scientific disciplines, and inclusive of projects with near-term clinical impact.

"Partnering with the American Cancer Society on this innovative, long-term Cancer Stem Cell Consortium helps fulfill the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation's mission statement—to nurture key scientific research that will directly improve outcomes and save lives," said William J. Martin, the Foundation's Secretary-Treasurer.  "As the world emerges from a frustrating period of time when research laboratories were forced to hit 'pause' for too long as a result of the pandemic, the Moseley Foundation is pleased to work with the ACS and foster this collaborative research model that will encourage talented and innovative scientists at all levels of their career development to create strategies and tools to fight cancer."

The Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, a valued partner of the American Cancer Society since 2019, has previously donated $1.6 million to fund two Research Scholar Grantees, Dr. Kunal Rai at MD Anderson and Dr. Weibo Luo at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

SOURCE American Cancer Society