The Cancer Research Foundation (Federal Tax ID# 13-3995955) was established by Dr. Peter Wiernik as a charitable organization in 1998. It’s purpose is to support cancer research with a focus on rarer, “orphan diseases,” such as leukemia, lymphoma, renal cell cancer, and melanoma. It has supported both clinical and laboratory research over the years. Dr. Wiernik was among the first to identify the familial incidence of hematological malignancies and CRF support has furthered these research efforts. One important discovery was the link between breast cancer and lymphoma and subsequently extended observations on the association between renal cell carcinoma and hematologic malignancies.
The CRF specifically supports research into familial hematologic malignancies and investigates associations between these malignancies and other tumor types. To that end it continues to support the Familial Hematologic Malignancy Registry, which now has over 700 families enrolled, and continues to seek and document new families and pedigrees with the assistance of collaborating physicians, genetic counselors, and patients. Sputum or blood samples are obtained from affected and unaffected family members and are then subjected to molecular study. We are currently collaborating with several nationally recognized genetics laboratories. It is our hope that the Registry will provide a fertile ground for investigative research, providing unique insights into these malignancies and ultimately suggesting fruitful paths for the understanding of and treatment of these malignancies.
Recommendations for research support are made by the clinical members of the Board. No Board members have been or are financially or otherwise compensated for their participation since the inception of CRF.