GENERAL SUPPORT
While all of the efforts at Johns Hopkins to advance our understanding of cervical cancer and to develop new techniques to diagnose and treat this dreaded disease are proceeding at a record pace, we have more leads than we have resources to pursue them. Financial support is needed to continue these efforts. Some people have given direct donations, some left us money as a bequeath, and some have asked that donations be sent in lieu of flowers. Each donation has helped us explore new avenues of research, and each is a poignant reminder of the human cost of this disease. Importantly, this private giving has provided us with the opportunity to make real advances in our understanding of cervical cancer. Those of you wishing to support cervical cancer research at Johns Hopkins may do so by sending your tax-deductible contribution payable to The Johns Hopkins University to:
Cervical Cancer Research Program—Dr. Richard Roden
c/o Robert Kahl
Department of Pathology
Johns Hopkins Medicine
600 N. Wolfe Street, Carnegie 422
Baltimore, MD 21287-6417
If you have any questions about how you can help support cervical cancer research, do not hesitate to give us a call at 410-614-2905.
Endowed Chair for Cervical Cancer Research
“Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.”
– Albert Einstein
The last five years have brought remarkable advances to our understanding of the genetics of cervical cancer. Indeed, at the genetic level, cancer of the cervix is currently among the better characterized neoplasms. This growing understanding of the genetics of cervical cancer will form the basis of new screening and diagnostic tests for the early detection of cervical cancer; they are used to identify patients at risk for familial forms of cervical cancer; and they can be used to characterize even the most subtle pathologic changes, thereby advancing our understanding of early cervical neoplasia. In addition, and most importantly, an understanding of the genetic changes associated with the development of cervical cancer will form the foundation for developing novel, rational, gene-based therapies for cervical cancer.
The establishment of an endowed chair for cervical cancer research would allow us to pursue high-risk research work. We believe this work will advance our understanding of cervical cancer, not by small steps, but instead by leaps and bounds. All to often, scientists focus their efforts on “evolutionary” work because it is safer, and more of a sure bet. Endowed chairs allow scientists such to pursue revolutionary work. In addition, because endowed chairs are permanent, named chairs are a wonderful way of permanently honoring the donor.
The cost for a named endowed chair is approximately $2.0 million.
Endowed Fellowship Training Program: New Technologies in Cervical Cancer Research
“The principal mark of genius is not perfection, but originality, the opening of new frontiers.”
– Arthur Koestler
Physicians and scientists must make critical decisions when they come to the end of their standard training. They must decide whether or not to pursue an academic career in research. Those who choose a career in research must then choose a sub-specialty area on which to focus their research efforts. These critical career choices are often made for rather trivial reasons. Countless physicians and scientists with enormous potential have chosen not pursue an academic research career because of a lack of a secure fellowship program.
At the same time, young minds are the most creative minds. Human creativity peaks at a rather young age; as our fund of knowledge increases our creativity paradoxically decreases. Indeed, some of the major new ideas in cancer research in the last several years have come from young scientists in their training. For example, Victor Velculescu here at Johns Hopkins created the idea for the revolutionary technology of serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). Victor did this while he was a post-doctoral student in the Johns Hopkins cancer research laboratories.
We propose to create an endowed fellowship training program in cervical cancer research at Hopkins. This program will provide secured funding to young scientists and physicians wishing to pursue a career in cervical cancer research. The research fellowship program will not be a standard fellowship program. Instead it will take advantage of and most importantly encourage the creativity of the trainees. The fellow will not be a mere technician following detailed instructions from a mentor. Instead, the fellows will be given extensive free time and the fellowship will be focused on creating novel new technologies which can be applied to cancer research and on identifying new technologies, developed in other fields, which can be applied to cervical cancer research.
This approach will bring more minds to the battle against cervical cancer. Furthermore, the focus on creative spark will mean that our understanding will advance not in safe yet small steps, but rather in daring leaps.
Budget
| 1 Fellow (1 year X $50,000/year) | $50,000 |
| 1 Fellow (2 years X $50,000/year) | $100,000 (most Fellowships last 2 years) |
| Permanent Endowed Fellowship | $750,000 |
What Your Donation Buys
| One human gene contained within a cloning vector | $10 |
| Membranes for screening new genes | $15 |
| Reagents needed to isolate DNA from a patients’ blood sample | $20 |
| A pair of PCR primers used to amplify one gene | $30 |
| Bacterial clone containing tumor-related gene | $30 |
| Vials for freezing tumor samples | $35 |
| Enzyme to precisely cut DNA | $40 |
| Scalpel blades for dissection of tumor samples | $55 |
| Enzyme to join DNA fragments | $60 |
| Updates to lab manual | $70 |
| Flasks for growing tumor cells | $75 |
| Radiolabel used to label DNA for sequencing and probing | $100 |
| Tumor cell line | $100 |
| Gel mix used to resolve DNA on gels | $100 |
| A vial of enzyme to modify or amplify DNA | $100 |
| Serum to grow cancer cells | $130 |
| DNA purification kit | $150 |
| Reagents to introduce genes into cancer cells | $180 |
| Purification kit for tumor-suppressor proteins | $230 |
| X-ray film to detect DNA sequence of a gene | $270 |
| Plates for drug-screening reactions | $380 |
| Enzyme to amplify DNA from tumors | $400 |
| DNA fragments to study a new gene | $500 |
| Lab refrigerator used in ongoing experiments | $700 |
| Digital camera for web page construction/updates | $800 |
| Set of pipettes to measure chemical solutions | $900 |
| Lab computer to access gene database | $1,800 |
| Ultraviolet light and camera to visualize | $2,000 |
| Incubator for tumor cell culture | $2,700 |
| Set of DNA sequencing apparatus | $3,800 |
| Lab freezer | $5,000 |
| Centrifuge for drug screens and purifications | $7,000 |
| PCR machine to amplify DNA | $9,000 |
| Named permanent endowment | $10,000 and up |
| Drier for DNA gels and purifications | $12,000 |
| Cancer Research Technician | $30,000/yr |
| Drug library to screen for new therapeutics (19,000 drugs) | $38,000 |
| Research fellow and supplies | $50,000/yr |
| Named permanent endowed research fellowship | $750,000 |
| Named permanent endowed chair for cervical cancer research | $2 million |
| Named endowed cervical cancer center | $5 million |