UAlbany, American Cancer Society Host Capital Region Cancer Research Forum

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 21, 2015) -- The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, is partnering with the University at Albany to host a Capital Region Research Reception on Monday, April 27, 2015 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. The event will be held at the D’Ambria Auditorium in the Life Sciences Research Building on UAlbany’s uptown campus.

UAlbany will host a forum on cancer research on April 27 at the Life Sciences Research Center. (Photo Paul Miller)

The event will highlight how funds raised through community events such as Relay For Life® and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer® are making a difference in the fight against cancer in the Capital Region.

Over the past 25 years, the American Cancer Society has invested more than $8.4 million in young investigators in the Capital Region, including the University at Albany. The research reception will help demystify cancer research by demonstrating to donors and community members the work that is being done today to end cancer tomorrow through presentations and lab tours.

Attendees will learn about currently funded projects, including:

• Hua Shi, Ph.D., associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Albany. Dr Shi has a $687,000 grant to look at the activity of estrogen and to use this data to expedite new pharmaceutical developments.
• Lee Ligon, PhD, associate professor of biological sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr Ligon has a $720,000 grant to look at the role of cell-to-cell adhesion in the metastatic cascade.

With the region's only comprehensive public research university placing a strong focus on the growth of cancer research, there is much opportunity to bring even more American Cancer Society research dollars to eligible scientists. A second session of the research reception will begin at 10 a.m. and will focus on the American Cancer Society’s grant application process. Interested faculty and investigators are encouraged to attend to better understand the types of work funded, the timelines for applications, and the proposal process.

Since 1946, the American Cancer Society has funded research and training of health professionals to investigate the causes, prevention, and early detection of cancer, as well as new treatments, cancer survivorship, and end of life support for patients and their families. In those nearly 70 years, the American Cancer Society’s extramural research grants program has devoted more than $4 billion to cancer research and has funded 47 researchers who have won the Nobel Prize.

Learn more about American Cancer Society Research Program.

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