Anonymous donors have generously provided UVA Cancer Center with $5.75 million to help us develop new treatments for rare, or "neglected," blood cancers. The gift will also increase access to our cutting-edge clinical trials for patients with these cancers.
These cancers, such as large-granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia, are considered “neglected” or "orphans" because it is often a struggle to obtain funding for potentially life-saving research. The new gift allows us to establish a Translational Orphan Blood Cancer Research Initiative Fund, which already has several projects under way to help doctors better understand and treat rare blood cancers.
“Individually, these cancers affect relatively small numbers of people when compared with other cancers, but collectively they touch the lives of countless patients and families,” said K. Craig Kent, MD, chief executive officer of UVA Health and executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Virginia. “We are deeply grateful for this generous gift that will allow us to conduct important, groundbreaking cancer research and develop new treatments that will benefit patients around the world.”
The fund will also subsidize patients' travel costs, making it possible for more folks to access clinical trials, the testing ground for new treatments.