Direct Funding

Action to Cure Kidney Cancer has directly funded kidney cancer research since 2006 and has provided 23 grants to 10 researchers totaling $461,000. The grants cover a broad spectrum of research from attempting to develop an early screening test for kidney cancer to working to find treatments for the different types of kidney cancer.

Kidney Cancer Research Projects

Research in Rare Kidney Cancers

2022 — $50,000
Marston Linehan
National Cancer Institute

 

Project: Study the genetic, metabolic, and immunologic aspects of rare forms of kidney cancer such as FH-deficient type 2 papillary RCC, medullary RCC, and TFE3 RCC, etc. in order to provide the foundation for the development of effective forms of therapy for these malignancies.
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Role of Ketogenesis in Preventing RCC-Associated Cachexia

2018 — $30,000
Sarah Huen
University of Texas Southwestern

 

Project: Test the hypothesis that ketones are required to protect against the development of cachexia in RCC, which contributes to at least 20% of cancer-related mortality.
forms of therapy for these malignancies.
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Therapies for Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma

2014 to 2016 — $60,000
Marston Linehan
National Cancer Institute

 

Project: Non-clear cell research, specifically therapies for papillary renal cell carcinoma.
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Role of Gene SETD2 in Development of Kidney Cancer

2012 — $45,000
Eric Jonasch
MD Anderson Cancer Center

 

Project: Examine consequences of the loss of the gene SETD2 and the formation of kidney cancer.
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Kidney Cancer Clinical Work and Research Studies

2011 — $10,000
Janice Dutcher
St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital

 

Project: Support her kidney cancer clinical and research work at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City.
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Radiological Treatment for Metastic Kidney Cancer

2010 — $30,000
Denise Chan
University of California, San Francisco

 

Project: Study the efficacy of radiological treatment for metastic kidney cancer.
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Prevention of Glucose Uptake in VHL-Mutated Cells

2009 — $45,000
Amato Giaccia
Stanford University

 

Project: Support the study of a protein that prevents glucose uptake in VHL-mutated cells and thereby, via synthetic lethality, destroys the kidney cancer cells.
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Identification of Human Endogenous Retrovirus (HERV)

2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 — $35,600, 55,600, 20,000, 35,000 respectively, for a total of $146,200
Richard Childs
National Institutes of Health

 

Project: Support the identification of a human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) that is selectively expressed on 80 percent of renal cell carcinoma cells.
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Analysis of Polymearse Chain Reaction (PCR)

2006 — $44,782.50
Paul Cairns
Fox Chase Cancer Center

 

Project: Purchase a Polymearse Chain Reaction (PCR) machine to analyze DNA in order to develop a urine test that would detect early-stage kidney cancer.