The Impact of the Funding Provided by the
Leukemia Research Foundation
The Leukemia Research Foundation exclusively funds New Investigators - individuals beginning to establish their own laboratories that are no longer under the tutelage of a senior scientist mentor. It is difficult for them to get the level of funding they need at this critical point in their careers.
The Leukemia Research Foundation is unique in the level of support it provides to highly promising scientists in this absolutely critical research niche. Providing one year grants of $100,000 to selected New Investigator researchers, allows innovative scientists to act on their ideas, and try new procedures and experiments that will hopefully lead to significant breakthroughs.
The Leukemia Research Foundation funds the research of scientists that are from independent labs, not the labs of pharmaceutical companies.
 “Funding New Investigators is extremely important because this is the beginning of a talented individual’s career, and it’s also a time when they’re most vulnerable. They don’t have much of a track record except their college records and their graduate school records, so major organizations and the national government don’t fund very many of them.”
Janet Rowley, M.D.
Leukemia Research Foundation research grant recipient, National Medal of Science recipient, 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient |
 “One of the hardest career transitions is that between trainee status and independence. For many new faculty members, this transition is compounded by lack of adequate funding to conduct investigations or to protect their time from other obligations. New Investigations are also at a disadvantage when applying for federal (NIH) grants, because of their lack of track record and productivity as compared to established investigators. Foundations like the LRF help fill in these gaps”.
Eric Beyer, M.D.
University of Chicago Medical Center |
 “...as I talk to scientists and administrators throughout the country, the anxiety is palpable. I share these concerns. I am most deeply troubled about the impact of this difficult situation on junior scientists....we all agree on the urgency of developing new and better ways of maintaining the attractiveness, joy, and excitement of a research career while eliminating the daunting obstacles and rigid traditions that junior researchers are facing. Now is not the time to discourage young scientists, but to find bold ways of improving their career prospects and opportunities.”
Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.
Former National Institute of Health Director |
 “Our hope is that from the knowledge we have gained in understanding how these proteins work in normal cells, we will be able to find new ways to treat all types of leukemia. We also think the discoveries will have broad implications in treating other types of cancers...as we continue to understand how these DNA packaging proteins work, we will find new ways to treat all types of leukemia as well as other diseases.”
Michael Cosgrove, Ph.D.
Syracuse University, Assistant Professor of Biology, and LRF funded New Investigator Researcher credited with a discovery that may lead to reprogram cancerous cells back into normal cells. |
 “I am extremely grateful for the grant we received from the Leukemia Research Foundation...we were able to obtain additional preliminary results on which genes control chromosomal translocations and instability, which often is correlated with the onset of leukemia.”
Michael Fasullo, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, The Ordway Research Institute Associate Professor, State University of New York at Albany, and LRF funded New Investigator |
|
|
