First Grant Awarded By Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund to be Announced at the Women’s NCAA Final Four in St. Louis
Grant will be used for early detection research in breast cancer patients

The Kay Yow/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Cancer Fund and The V Foundation announce that Michael Welch, Ph.D. and John-Stephen Tyler, Ph.D. will be recipients of the first research grant awarded with money raised by the Kay Yow/WBCA Fund.  Awarded during the NCAA Women’s Final Four weekend in St. Louis, Missouri, the grant will be given to fund a breast cancer research project at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, also located in St. Louis.

The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund was created in 2007 by Kay Yow, the longtime North Carolina State women’s basketball coach, in collaboration with the WBCA and The V Foundation for Cancer Research. “The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation, is thrilled to be allocating our first grant of $100,000 to Dr. Michael Welch from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The women’s basketball community is committed to finding an answer in the fight against women’s cancers through raising money for scientific research as a collective whole. Thank you to everyone who has supported this truly wonderful cause,” says Marsha Sharp, President of the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund is dedicated to the fight against women's cancers through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved and unifying people for a common cause.  “We are thrilled to have accomplished this tremendous feat in Kay’s honor,” said CEO of The V Foundation Nick Valvano.  “It is a true tribute to Kay that so many people have embraced her cause and supported the Fund which she established.”

This grant in particular will be used for a project titled “Targeted Nanoparticles Optimized for Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy,” in which the principal investigators will study methods  to improve the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer through nanotechnology.This research will be conducted in hopes that doctors will be able to find cancerous cells even before a mammogram can detect them.

“Thanks to the wonderful support of the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund and the V Foundation – we will be able to realize our goal of studying ways to earlier diagnose breast cancer using nanotechnology,” says Timothy Eberlein, M.D., director of Siteman Cancer Center and the Bixby Professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at the School of Medicine. “Our research also has opened the possibility of using this exciting new technology for targeted therapy, which promises to be more effective and less toxic. We are grateful to the Kay Yow/WBCH Cancer Fund and the V Foundation for having the confidence in our research to award this valuable support.”

About the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund
The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund is a 501 c(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women’s cancers through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved and unifying people for a common cause.

About The V Foundation for Cancer Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, the legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $80 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of direct cash donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs. The Foundation, which has received six consecutive top 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator, awards grants through a competitive awards process strictly supervised by a Scientific Advisory Board. For more information about The V Foundation, or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.

About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women’s basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls.  For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.

About Siteman Cancer Center
Siteman Cancer Center is the only federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center within a 240-mile radius of St. Louis. Siteman Cancer Center is composed of the combined cancer research and treatment programs of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. Siteman has satellite locations in West County and St. Peters, in addition to its full-service facility at Washington University Medical Center on South Kingshighway.
 

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