TAMRF Research Dollars Hard at Work
Below are just a few organizations that TAMRF has donated to towards cutting-edge research.
Melanoma Research Foundation CURE OM
The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is separate organization from TAMRF, but one that shares the same goal of finding a cure for melanoma. MRF founded CURE OM (Community United for Research and Education of Ocular Melanoma) to increase awareness, education, and research funding for ocular melanoma, while improving the lives of people affected by this disease.
TAMRF donated $40,000 to support CURE OM’s research project titled: The Genetic Evolution of Uveal Melanoma. Uveal melanoma is a cancer (melanoma) of the eye involving the iris, ciliary body, or choroid.
One of the goals of this research is to help address the urgent need to develop effective melanoma prevention strategies that will reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this aggressive tumor.
John Wayne Cancer Institute
TAMRF has donated $53,500 to the John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI) who is at the forefront of revolutionizing cancer treatment through immunotherapy and precision medicine. They have completed over 35 clinical trials for a wide range of cancers, including melanoma, breast and gastrointestinal cancers.
University of Virginia's
Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center
University of Virginia's Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center conducts clinical trials with the goal of developing cancer vaccines for melanoma. TAMRF donated $53,500 towards research is targeting “helper T cells” and results are showing a shrinkage of melanomas in the lungs, liver, lymph nodes and soft tissues – and increased survival rates compared to patients who were not treated with vaccines.
Recently, the UVA Cancer Center completed three clinical trials that further defined how to induce strong immune responses. One of these trials combined the helper peptide vaccine with another immune therapy for patients with advanced melanoma that could not be treated by surgery. Four of the six patients who received the vaccine plus the antibody as their first therapy experienced major tumor regressions.
