SARC partners with SFA and QuadW in support of clinical trial of anti-PD1 agent
DEC. 22, 2014 – ANN ARBOR, MICH. – Focused on their mission to identify new treatments for sarcoma, an uncommon cancer, SARC has leveraged a generous donation to secure the support of the Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA) and the What Would Willie Want Foundation (QuadW) in a collaborative effort to support a new multi-institutional clinical trial of an anti-PD1 agent. The company who is providing their drug and support for the study of soft tissue sarcoma agreed to provide their drug to study bone sarcomas if additional funding could be secured. SARC secured generous commitments from the Sarcoma Foundation of America and the QuadW Foundation to provide the needed funding to conduct this important study.
“This trial involves one of the newest targets of interest and promise in cancer treatment. SARC is pleased to have partnered with industry, foundations and donors to secure the opportunity to study this new drug in not only in soft tissue sarcoma but in bone tumors as well,” announced Denise Reinke, SARC President and CEO. “Targeting the PD-1 pathway is proving to be an impressive strategy in cancer therapy and clinical efficacy has already been demonstrated in other tumor types.”
“The Sarcoma Foundation of America is proud to collaborate with SARC and QuadW to ensure that this crucial clinical trial moves forward,” said Bert E. Thomas IV, SFA CEO. “Exploring PD-1 agents for the use in the treatment of bone sarcomas is an important step in the effort to find innovative therapy options for sarcoma patients.”
About Sarcoma Foundation of America
The Sarcoma Foundation of America, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, advocates for increased research to find new and better therapies with which to treat patients with sarcoma. The organization raises money to privately fund research and conducts education and advocacy efforts on behalf of sarcoma patients. The SFA interacts with public, private for-profit, and private non-profit entities to educate and raise awareness about the treatment needs of sarcoma patients. Visit them at www.curesarcoma.org.
About the QuadW Foundation
The What Would Willie Want Foundation (QuadW) was founded in memory of Willie Tichenor, who died of osteosarcoma in 2006 at the age of 19. The goal of the QuadW Foundation is to facilitate the development of more effective and less toxic treatments for sarcoma patients like Willie. He suffered through debilitating chemotherapies and surgeries, and then passed away because the standard treatments did not work and there were no effective second-line options available. Visit them at www.QuadW.org.