Funding sarcoma research is one prong of Rein in Sarcoma’s three-pronged mission. With the great support of donors including a significant gift through the Hallie Anne Brown Named Fund, physicians, researchers, and board members RIS expanded research funding in 2017. This expansion not only grew our commitment to the University of Minnesota, but provided research grants to Children’s Hospital, Minneapolis and the Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
At that time the Rein in Sarcoma Research Committee was formed to oversee RIS research grant awards. To provide a forum for researchers to present findings to RIS stakeholders and further the collaboration among RIS sponsored researchers, the committee initiated the first RIS Researcher Symposium, held at the UMN Cancer and Cardiovascular Research Building on April 27. Co-hosted by committee chair, Dr. Larry Seymour, Peter Wyckoff, and Dr. David Largaespada, the symposium was incredibly successful and we look forward to another in 2020!
After breakfast with the committee and RIS Board members, the 2017 research grant recipients presented their work to each other and Research Committee members. At the end of the morning, Dr. David Largaespada led board and Research Committee members on an captivating tour of his sarcoma research lab. We met and heard from four student researchers about their work in finding the mechanisms and potential cures to sarcoma cancers.
Thanks to Dr. Largaespada and his colleagues for hosting the symposium and providing the tour, with special thanks to Emerson Fuller for her detailed coordination assistance. We appreciate the presenting researchers’ preparation and willingness to participate. Thanks also to Bill Donovan for photographing the morning.
Presenting Researchers: L. Chinsoo Cho, MD, Erin Dickerson, PhD, Avudaiappan Maran, PhD, Kris Ann Schultz, MD, Jessica Lawrence, DVM
UMN Sarcoma Lab Researchers: Minu Bhunia, Bryant Keller, Emily Pope, Julia Nikrad
RIS Research Committee: Dr Larry Seymour, Brenda Weigel, MD, David Largaespada, PhD, Kris Ann Schultz, MD, Scott Okuno, MD, Keith Skubitz, MD, Peter Wyckoff, Janelle Calhoun
