Thanks to our members’ generous donations over the past, we have been able commit to funding two exciting new research projects.  Now comes the hard part – we need to raise $200,000.  Our thermometer will keep track of our accomplishments as this progresses.  We’ll update this post from time to time, to track our progress.

In partnership with the IWMF, we are funding these two major WM research projects:

  • We are supporting another research project with Dr. Zachary Hunter at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University.He is looking ever more closely at the inner workings of WM with a study of the different versions of WM-related genes (called isoforms), finding new versions and studying how these genes evolve in WM.
  • For the first time we have an opportunity to support a WM research project at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Led by Dr. Patrizia Mondello, it looks at how two genes, IRF4 and MYD88 L265P, work to cause WM, and their effect on the WM microenvironment.

The WMFC’s commitment to this kind of fundamental research keeps us in tune with the latest research on WM. Understanding the inner workings of cellular communication networks, genes, and their variations, are all clues in the search for a cure.

And speaking of a cure…
Last month, Dr Steven Treon of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University, one of the leading WM researchers with a 27 year career in the subject, directly addressed the question “Is there hope for a cure for WM”. His answer is an uplifting reminder of what your donations are achieving already, and what your generosity can achieve in the near future. (This is from his inspiring video.)

He concluded by saying “at the end of the day, do I believe there’s a cure in sight? Absolutely, because when we find the way to shut down MYD88 signaling, we will find that cure”.

And your successes …
This campaign is part of our ongoing research program.  Did you know that since 2018, you have enabled the WMFC to commit $1,000,000 to research?  Even though we are a small organization, we’ve become recognized as a serious contributor to WM research.

Help us make Dr. Treon’s optimism become reality!