Breast Cancer Coalition awards $25,000 to support regional research

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – The Breast Cancer Coalition awarded the Pamela Delp Polashenski M.D. Breast Cancer Research Trainee Grant to Sangwoo Park, a PhD candidate/student at Cornell University.

Park will receive a grant of $25,000 to support his project, “Overcoming the Glycocalyx Barrier to Engineered Cellular Therapeutics.” The research proposal examines new strategies to improve cancer immunotherapy.

Since 2003, the Coalition has annually awarded grants to fund innovative projects with the potential to lead to significant medical breakthroughs in the cause, prevention, and cure of breast cancer. With this latest award, the Coalition has provided more than $1,000,000 in funding to researchers in Upstate and Western New York. Recipients are selected through a competitive review process.

“We are proud to support innovative research happening right here in our own region,” said Holly Anderson, Executive Director, Breast Cancer Coalition. Holly continues, “Research funding has become more competitive than ever and our commitment has always been to keep funds raised in our region right here, in our region. This particular project is exciting to us precisely because it focuses on immobilizing our body’s own immune capabilities to destroy cancer cells.”