Top Cancer Research Facilities Nationwide Fueled With $1.2 Million In New Slate Of Grants
Annual Grants from The Mary Kay Foundation℠ Total More than $26 Million in the Fight Against Cancer
DALLAS, July 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- From new cures to preventing and treating the disease, one thing is certain – cancer research saves lives. For more than 20 years now, The Mary Kay Foundation℠ has continued its steadfast mission of funding research of cancers affecting women by awarding annual research grants to top medical schools and research facilities nationwide. This year, the Foundation awarded 12 highly-competitive grants totaling $1.2 million to some of the most respected institutions in the country.
The Mary Kay Foundation℠ Scientific Review Committee, composed of prominent medical scientists and doctors, meticulously reviewed 80 applicants before selecting 12 of the most promising research projects to receive grants in the amount of $100,000 each. The 2017 slate of cancer grants brings the total investment in the fight against cancer by The Mary Kay Foundation℠ to more than $26 million since its inception in 1996.
"We are proud to support promising research and medical scientists who are working on breakthrough cures and therapies that could help improve the lives of an untold number of cancer patients and their families," said Michael Lunceford, Mary Kay Inc. Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Chairman of the Board for The Mary Kay Foundation℠. "It is in our company DNA to give back and by continued support of top cancer research facilities nationwide each and every year through the cancer grant program, The Mary Kay Foundation℠ continues Mary Kay Ash's mission and legacy of enriching women's lives."
The 2017 slate of grants includes a wide range of critical research areas. At Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, medical scientists are investigating treatment for chemo-resistant ovarian cancer. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, therapies for basal-like breast cancer are the focus of research. At the University of Arizona in Phoenix, innovative research is underway for endometrial cancer patients.
"At the heart of the relentless pursuit to help prevent, detect and treat cancer is innovative and pioneering research," said Jerry W. Shay, Ph.D., Chair of The Mary Kay Foundation℠ Research Review Committee, Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Cell Biology for The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "Without continued support through grants like these from The Mary Kay Foundation℠, medical scientists would not be able to pursue and discover potentially life-saving new therapies or early detection tools. While the Foundation's grant program is focused on cancers affecting women, the new discoveries will no doubt benefit research of all types of cancer."
Click here for more information about The Mary Kay Foundation℠ cancer grants at work.
About The Mary Kay Foundation℠
The Mary Kay Foundation℠ was created in 1996, and its mission is twofold: to fund research of cancers affecting women and to help prevent domestic violence while raising awareness of the issue. The Mary Kay Foundation℠ has awarded $70.7 million to shelters and programs addressing domestic violence prevention and cancer researchers and related causes throughout the United States. To learn more about The Mary Kay Foundation℠, please visit marykayfoundation.org or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).
Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications
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SOURCE The Mary Kay Foundation
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