The Rogel Cancer Center is appreciative of Swim Across America and all of those who put energy into supporting its mission. All money raised through Swim Across America goes directly to the Rogel Cancer Center and is distributed through a competitive grant process.
The 2019 event resulted in a grant to Kyoung Eun Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology. The funds are being used to investigate how low oxygen levels affect cancer cells and their interactions with the surrounding microenvironment. The ultimate goal for the study is to develop novel therapeutics aimed at manipulating the tumor microenvironment.
The 2020 event funded research by Phillip Palmbos, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medical oncology, hematology. His research has uncovered a gene involved in the development of bladder cancer. But it also suggested that it regulated the immune microenvironment in those tumors – perhaps explaining why immunotherapy doesn’t work for many bladder cancer patients. The funds will let him explore this novel concept.
Thank you for all of your efforts!
