Vanguard Cancer Foundation Receives $2 Million Gift

LONG BEACH, California, May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nagourney Cancer Institute announced today that as part of its efforts to advance the understanding of human metabolism and the pivotal role that it plays in cancer, it will benefit from the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Foundation's $2 million gift to The Vanguard Cancer Foundation.

The donation will enable The Vanguard Cancer Foundation to support the Nagourney Cancer Institute's study of metabolism and its connection to cancer utilizing mass spectrometry.

"We are honored to receive this generous donation from the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Foundation," said Lisa Keating, Esq., chairwoman of the Vanguard Cancer Foundation board. "Since its founding by the late Loretta Stamos, Vanguard has continued Loretta's mission to advance cancer research and support patients in need. This gift will sponsor extremely important new directions in basic and translational science," Keating continued. 

"Despite the cancer industry's focus on genomics, there is the growing recognition that cancer represents dysregulated energy metabolism," said Dr. Robert Nagourney, Founder and Medical Director of the Nagourney Cancer Institute. "The generosity of the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Foundation will help our investigators study basic features of human metabolism to advance our understanding of the causes and treatments of cancer," he added.

The donation has been specifically earmarked by the donor for the use of mass spectrometry, a technique that measures minute quantities of chemicals in the blood stream of patients that can be used to study metabolites with higher sensitivity and quicker data acquisition. 

"I am pleased to provide these funds to The Vanguard Cancer Foundation," said Harold R. Brown, trustee of the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Foundation. "We are excited to support a cause that gives cancer patients the very best opportunity in their fight against the disease."

According to Dr. Nagourney, through the use of the mass spectrometer, the research may change how people view human biology.

"We have spent decades trying to understand disease from the top down, as if the human body is a blueprint easy to understand," said Dr. Nagourney. "But the real fertile ground is understanding the root cause of disease and the important positive impact nutrients, diet and lifestyle can have."

Vanguard Cancer Foundation
The Vanguard Cancer Foundation provides programs to educate patients and the public about personalized cancer treatment. It also funds endeavors that further the progress of specific research projects that support, validate, and advance the assay-directed approach for selecting drugs and combinations for cancer patients.

SOURCE Nagourney Cancer Institute