NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – A challenge grant from the Friess Family Foundation has helped the Translational Genomics Research Institute raise over $282,000 for ovarian cancer research.
Philanthropists Lynn and Foster Friess donated $100,000, which was nearly doubled by other TGen supporters who gave more than $182,000.
TGen said the money would support research on ovarian cancer. As an example, it pointed to a recent publication in Nature Genetics that found the genetic mutation likely responsible for small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT), an ovarian cancer found most often in young women and girls.
Using genetic sequencing, a team led by TGen investigators found that a particular gene called SMARCA4 was the only recurrently mutated gene in the study's 17 SCCOHT tissue samples, and that the absence of the protein in samples indicates that it likely suppresses tumor growth.