Sanford Simon receives grant for fibrolamellar HCC research

The Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation awarded a $600,000 grant to Sanford Simon, PhD, head of the Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics at Rockefeller University, New York, to develop a therapy for fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a press release.

“It can be difficult for rare diseases like fibrolamellar, especially those in children, to receive attention and resources,” Simon said in the release. “Yet, these are important to study. Young kids have the potential of many decades of life ahead of them.”

Simon added that researchers can learn lessons for all cancers from the study of rare pediatric cancers. Researchers could learn about the large class of molecules known as tumor suppressors by studying pediatric cancer retinoblastoma.

“Fibrolamellar in particular is caused by single mutations, which means there is great potential for designing and testing diagnostics and cures,” Simon said. “The support of the Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation was essential for us to identify the driver for this cancer and will allow us to continue this important work.”

The grant will support Simon’s ongoing research into identifying compounds that halt the cancer-causing activity of fibrolamellar that results from a mutation the university’s laboratory discovered in 2014. The foundation has contributed a total of $1.7 million to Simon’s research since 2010.

Reference : www.fibrofoundation.org