This summer, The Life Raft Group held a Summer Splash Match to raise funds to directly support groundbreaking GIST research. Our generous community contributed $30,000 bringing our total with the match to $60,000 for research.
Three exceptional investigators making significant strides in GIST research were awarded these funds:
- Dr. Inga-Marie Schaefer of Brigham and Women’s Hospital for her project, “Exploiting Cell Cycle Perturbation in GIST for Therapeutic Targeting.”
- Dr. Matthew Hemming of UMass Chan Medical School for his project, “Identification of novel therapeutic strategies for succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumor.” for his innovative work advancing our understanding of GIST biology and treatment strategies.
- Dr. Jason Sicklick of UCSD Moores Cancer Center for his project, “Translating RNAseq signatures to treatment of GIST. ” focused on developing new treatment options for SDH-deficient GIST.
Each of these projects represents meaningful progress toward improving outcomes and offering hope for patients living with GIST. The Life Raft Group is proud to stand behind these talented researchers and the community of supporters who made these awards possible.
Together, we continue to drive research forward, one discovery at a time.
