FUNDING CRUCIAL TO SUSTAINING GROUNDBREAKING MELANOMA RESEARCH

The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) today issued a request for charitable giving to ensure important melanoma research continues to move forward. The call for donations is in response to a new report issued by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), entitled, “Clinical Care Advances 2007: Major Research Advances in Cancer Treatment, Prevention, and Screening,” that suggests future cancer care advances could be threatened by flat federal funding for clinical trials and research programs. The report cited budgets for the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Cancer Institute that have not changed in four years, marking the longest period of flat funding in history.

MRF is the largest private, national organization devoted to melanoma in the United States, and is a leading force in the efforts to increase federal funding. The MRF Research Grant Program supports promising medical research that furthers the goal of developing an effective treatment and possible cure for malignant melanoma, while encouraging scientists and clinicians to join in this mission. The grants are awarded through a scientific peer-review system paneled by leading clinical and basic melanoma researchers. The Foundation is not affiliated with any specific hospital or research institution and thus awards grants to applicants that have the best combination of scientific merit, appropriately skilled researchers, the greatest likelihood for success and the highest benefit for the melanoma patient community.

“Donations are crucial to ensuring that we can continue to push the envelope on research, and further support our education and advocacy efforts,” said Randy Lomax, Chairman, Board of Directors, Melanoma Research Foundation. “Each year, we are able to provide emerging and establish investigators with highly sought-after grants that allow them to explore new avenues in melanoma biology and treatment. We ask people to consider a charitable gift that will allow us to support more research, and make a difference in the lives of those with melanoma.”

To learn more about donating to MRF and its research programs, please visit www.melanoma.org.