Hollings Cancer Center gets grant, visit from ACS

 
Contact:
Vicky Agnew
843.697.6208
agnew@musc.edu

Oct.1, 2009

Hollings Cancer Center gets grant, visit from ACS

American Cancer Society funds to support next generation of researchers

CHARLESTON -- Otis W. Brawley, MD, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society (ACS), visited Hollings Cancer Center Thursday to discuss the future of cancer. Dr. Brawley's visit coincided with an announcement that Hollings will receive a $450,000 grant from the ACS supporting research.

This grant program supports new projects undertaken by junior faculty. Past recipients of these grants have gone on to make important discoveries in cancer research and treatment around the world.

"By supporting our young researchers now, we are investing in the next generation of investigators who have the potential will make important strides in the fight against cancer," said Andrew S. Kraft, MD, director of Hollings Cancer Center. "It's important to remember that some of the best drugs have been developed by researchers who got their start with American Cancer Society funding. "We are so appreciative of our relationship with a world leader in fighting cancer."

Brawley addressed physicians and researchers at Hollings about the future of cancer.

"Medical research and especially cancer research is in crisis," Brawley said. "As funding and support is drying up, it becomes much less attractive to our best and brightest. We're extremely grateful for the public's continued support that allows us to support these researchers whose work will benefit us all."

In March, Hollings was awarded designation from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a distinction shared by just 65 cancer centers in the U.S. Hollings is the only NCI center in South Carolina.

About Hollings Cancer Center

Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the largest academic-based cancer program in South Carolina. The cancer center and has more than $35 million in cancer research funding and more than 200 people are currently participating on a cancer clinical trial at HCC. Hollings Cancer Center offers state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques and has multidisciplinary clinics that involve surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and many other specialists seeing patients under one roof. Multidisciplinary care is provided in disease specific clinics such as thoracic, breast, head and neck, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, hematological, and pediatric cancers. For more information, please visit www.hcc.musc.edu.


About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 11,000 employees, including 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.6 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.

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