The DeGregorio Family Foundation would like to congratulate Phillip Smith, MD as one of the two recipients of our grant program. He currently teaches at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. These grants bring critical funding to many of the top academic researchers wanting to expand their scientific discoveries and build new collaborations for further research on gastric cancer; specifically H. pylori infection. 
H. pylori infection of the stomach is the major cause of gastric cancer worldwide. This infection typically begins earlier in life during childhood and persists into adulthood. Children do not develop H.pylori-induced gastric cancer, whereas adults do. In fact, gastric cancer is exclusively present in adults. This application and research study seeks to determine how children suppress or down-regulate the H. pylori-induced gastric inflammatory changes that lead to cancer of the stomach. It is hypothesized in this research study that although everyone's stomach is colonized by millions of bacteria (the gastric microbiota), the gastric microbiota of H. pylori-infected children, but not adults, promotes suppression of H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation and its attendant precancerous lesions. Thus, this suppression prevents H. pylori induced gastric cancer in children.
The DeGregorio Family Foundation and the Price Family Foundation congratulate Adam Bass MD and Timothy Wang MD, joint recipients of our collaborative research grant. Our grant programbrings critical funding to top academic researchers, enabling them to expand their scientific discoveries and build new collaborations. The Bass/Wang grant will support further study in gastric cancer - specifically Diffuse Gastric Cancer (DGC). It will allow Drs. Bass and Wang to continue their research on the role of Novel RHO Pathway Genomic Alterations in DGC. Adam Bass MD currently teaches in the Division of Cellular and Molecular Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, while Timothy Wang MD resides at the Irving Cancer Research Center at Columbia University.
This collaboration will link two laboratories with complementary gastric cancer expertise.Dr. Wang's research program is centered on understanding the role of chronic inflammation in modulating stem cells and the tissue microenvironment in ways that predispose to gastrointestinal cancers. He established Helicobacter-mouse models of gastric cancer and was the first to report a role for bone marrow-derived stem cells in gastric cancer.
Diffuse Gastric Cancer (DGC), is an extremely deadly type of gastric cancer, with an especially poor prognosis and no effective therapy. The research of Drs. Wang and Bass has led to new discoveries in the effort to study and combat DGC. Their new collaborative research team across two major research centers will have the capacity to follow up on these findings and build a new program to greatly expand the study and development of desperately needed therapies for DGC.
Again we extend our congratulations to Drs. Adam Bass MD, Timothy Wang MD, and Philip Smith MD for their achievements to date and we look forward to the results of their research on gastric cancer. The DeGregorio Family Foundation is excited to award two grants this year to such worthy recipients, and for our collaboration with the Price Family Foundation. For more information on our grant winners, click here.
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United Airlines NYC 2015 Half Marathon Results
On March 15, 2015,
the New York Road Runners (NYRR) hosted the United Airlines Half Marathon Run. This prestigious 13.1 Mile race trekked through a clockwise 6.2-mile (10 km) loop around hilly Central Park. The course then flattens and goes along Seventh Avenue to Times Square, where it follows 42nd Street to the West Side Highway, adjacent to the Hudson River and finishes at Battery Park.
The DeGregorio Family Foundation team was 20 runners strong and raised $30,000. Thank you to our dedicated team of runners and to all those who supported them. The DeGregorio Family Foundation annually participates in the NYC ½ Marathon in March, and the NYC Marathon in November. We thank all of those that have helped us make our donated goal, and look forward to seeing you next year!
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SAVE THE DATE: SEPTEMBER 24, 2015
Our annual fundraising gala will be held September 24, 2015 in a new rooftop venue in Midtown Manhattan. Please join us for cocktails, delicious food, and fundraising for a cause we all believe in.
We are excited to announce that we will have a wide variety of auction items. Enjoy a night out with us to fundraise for the next year's continued research and development and help us celebrate our many successes in the fight against stomach & esophageal cancer over the last year.
100% of all proceeds go directly to research grants. With your help, The DeGregorio Family Foundation is able to support research for better diagnosis and treatments of Stomach and Esophageal Cancers.
If your company is interested in a corporate sponsorship (with great benefits!), please email Andrea at [email protected].
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Theresa Pizarro, PhD, Case Western University
2013 Grant Recipient: Two Year Update
Data suggests IL-33's role in the pathogenic events leading to gastritis and the potential transition to the development of gastric adenocarcinoma. This study's ultimate goal remains to identify potential, early disease pathways that can lead to the development of novel targets for the treatment of gastric cancer.
The grant has secured a pilot feasibility award as part of the NIH-funded P50 GI SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) at Case Western Reserve. This grant is up for renewal in 2015, and as recipient of a pilot feasibility award, I will have opportunity to participate as one of the Project leaders (with the IL-33 gastric cancer project) pending review of progress and fit into the rest of the program.
Currently, we are preparing the submission of the manuscript for which the DeGregorio Foundation provided the funds. This paper also highlights a very fruitful collaboration with the gastric cancer group at Vanderbilt, particularly Jim Goldenring.We have also initiated another collaboration with Jason Mills from Washington University.
Our plan for this is to focus on the experiments detailed in Specific Aim 2, while finishing up experiments outlined in Specific Aim 1.
Tony Godfrey, PhD, Boston University School of Medicine:
Year One Update
In the last year the team has made significant progress on the DeGregorio Family Foundation funded project to evaluate the feasibility of molecular cytology for surveillance and detection of esophageal cancer. The team has implemented esophageal cytology sample collection, using a cellular retrieval device called the EsophaCap TM and we will begin targeted DNA sequencing of samples early in 2015. They eagerly anticipate the analysis of this data and remain extremely thankful to the DeGregorio Family Foundation for the continued support of this project.
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MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH YOUR AMAZON PURCHASES! Visit Smile.Amazon.com
Our partnership with Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to DFF
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DIDN'T GET INTO THE NYC 2015 MARATHON?
RUN WITH US.
Calling all runners! Team DeGregorio is looking for 10 runners for the TCS NYC Marathon 2015. The annual 26.2 miles race will be held November 1, 2015. Running with us not only provides guaranteed entry, it also gives you the opportunity to change lives and give back. Training for the whole 26.2 mile race is an achievement in its own, but running those miles with us for an amazing cause makes it that much sweeter! Becoming a part of our dedicated team supports the research into the causes and possible cures for Stomach and Esophageal Cancer.
This year, we're looking to break our fundraising goal of $25,000. So, what are you waiting for?
It's easy to join: email
[email protected] to guarantee your spot for the TCS NYC Marathon today! Not interested in running? If you're not interested in running in the race, why not support a runner? To donate and support our team in their valiant efforts visit our runner information page and make a donation.
With your help, we can turn fact into fiction!
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STAY CONNECTED
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