. Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative’s Research Grants program  

 We fund "basic research seed grants" in sarcoma research. We anticipate that results from these “demonstration” or “starter” grants will provide results that will allow the researcher to apply for funding for a larger study. We are interested in a wide range of research. Some examples are: understanding the molecular biology of sarcomas; exploring “molecular targets” for new sarcoma therapies; studying chromosomal translocations, the oncogenes they generate and their role in sarcoma development; translational studies; studying vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and mTOR inhibitors; studying the use of nanotechnology in the diagnosis and treatment of sarcomas; understanding the basis of radiation-induced sarcoma; modeling of the process of metastases; exploring the differences in the development of sarcomas in children, adolescents, young adults and adults; and research directed at the early detection and diagnosis of sarcoma. Other areas of research will be considered. You might want to look at our “Funded Research” webpage (http://tinyurl.com/bgz2a) to read summaries of some of the grants that we have already funded.

 Grants are awarded for a period of one year and are typically in the amount of $50,000 or $25,000. Grants can be used for the development of models, conducting experiments, development of sarcoma tissue registries, and similar activities involved in support of research into the causes, origins, development, molecular biology, diagnosis, and treatment of sarcoma. We do not fund clinical trials, but fund basic research that might lead to other research studies or to clinical trials. While not funding clinical trials, proposals that undertake studies with patients undergoing treatment on who are participating in an investigational study are considered and supported. We are exploring the possibility of supporting 2-year grants and have recently accepted received two such applications.

 Our grants are not intended to support the salary of the investigator nor do they support the indirect costs of the investigator's institution. Investigators must provide a letter from their institution indicating agreement with these requirements with their grant application. We award research grants to both U.S. and international applicants. The applicant's primary affiliation must be with a nonprofit institution. Grant applications can be submitted at any time. Applications are peer-reviewed in as timely a manner as possible. Each grant application is reviewed by four sarcoma researchers (typically MDs who also hold a PhD). Only if three of the four strongly urge us to fund the application (a score from 1 to 2.5 on a scale of 1 to 10) do we proceed to do so. We require a 2-3 page summary of the results of the work at the end of the year and request that the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative’s grant be acknowledged in any article submitted for publication in which results obtained from the research study are presented. A signed copy of the grant application along with the letter of compliance with this paragraph must be sent to us in order to enter the application into the grant review process. Additionally, electronic copies of the application and NIH bio sketches must also be sent to us. 

I discuss some of our co-funding efforts in my editorial in the February 2008 issue of the Electronic Sarcoma Update Newsletter (ESUN); see http://tinyurl.com/2oef4x.   

I should also mention that the Team Sarcoma Bike Tour is the only fund raising event that we have all year. It is the major source of the funds that we use to fund the research grants. 

 Bruce Shriver 

shriver@GENESIS2.COM