July 16, 2008 - LCFA works with Representative Waxman for SPORE program
LCFA worked with Henry Waxman, the U.S. Representative for California’s 33rd congressional district to appeal to Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., Director, National Cancer Institute (NCI) regarding SPORE program funding.
The establishment of the Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) in 1992 with its dedication to translational research of all cancers marked yet another unique and important public commitment to cancer research. When the NCI announced changes to the SPORE Program in July 2005, LCFA reached out to Rep. Waxman to contact NCI. This correspondence reinforced the need to maintain funding that has reached an outstanding level of momentum in accomplishing important translational research goals.
“We again encourage the NCI to review the SPORE program understanding its unique and critical part in cancer research. We also ask that NCI undertake an immediate review and discussion of the Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt and UCLA Lung SPORE grant renewal applications against the backdrop of the impending deadlines which may result in the termination of their grants.”
Continuation of the SPORE Program
The SPORE program continues today partly due to these efforts by LCFA. And LCFA continues in its mission to fight for more lung cancer research funding. The Translational Research Program (TRP) convened a Lung Cancer SPORE Workshop at the National Cancer Institute on June 13-14, 2019. Kim Norris and patient advocate Janet Freeman-Daily were among the attendees along with translational research investigators in lung cancer, program staff from NCI and the Department of Defense, and patient advocates.