Accolades

Piers Nash, Assistant Professor in the Ben May Department for Cancer Research, has received one of nine $100,000 research grants from the Leukemia Research Foundation.

Nash received the Coleman Foundation Research Grant, supported by The Coleman Foundation, which is based in Chicago.

Nash said the grant will fund studies of mechanisms controlling levels of CXCR4, a cell-surface protein that plays a central role in the development and organization of the immune system as well as serving as the key mediator responsible for stem-cell homing. Increased levels of CXCR4 are associated with the development of a variety of leukemias, as well as metastatic disease in breast and lung cancers.

The Leukemia Research Foundation received dozens of proposals from institutions around the world. The proposals were organized by specialty then matched to the expertise of three members of the Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board. Each proposal was thoroughly evaluated and scored using the National Institutes of Health scoring system.

The Leukemia Research Foundation, based in Glenview, Ill., is dedicated to funding research and providing support to people affected by blood cancers. Its mission is to conquer leukemia, lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndromes by funding research into their causes and cures. The foundation also aims to enrich the quality of life of those touched by the diseases.

For more than 60 years, thousands of volunteers and 24 chapters have helped the foundation raise more than $41 million to help fund research specifically targeting aspiring, eager and innovative scientists and physicians around the world.