Tower Cancer Research Foundation

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH, COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND CARING PATIENT SUPPORT WHILE DEVELOPING MORE EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR CANCER AND BLOOD DISORDERS.

IN 2021, TOWER FUNDED ONE NEW SENIOR INVESTIGATOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH GRANT TO AN ESTEEMED RE-SEARCHER AT CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER RESEARCHING CUTTING EDGE METHODS IN GENOMICS TO DISCOVER BETTER TREATMENTS FOR HIGH GRADE OVARIAN CANCER, OFTEN A LETHAL DISEASE. TOWER ALSO FUNDED THREE NEW CAREER DEVELOPMENT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH GRANTS FOR PROMISING YOUNG PHYSICIAN SCIENTISTS LOCATED AT USC, UCLA, AND CEDARS-SINAI. RESEARCH AREAS FOCUS ON INNOVATIVE THERAPIES FOR COLORECTAL CANCER DE-VELOPMENT AND RECURRENCE, DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR IMMUNE CANCERS SUCH AS LYMPHOMAS, AND COLD ATMOSPHERIC PLASMA (CAP) FOR AGGRESSIVE SOFT-TISSUE SARCOMAS. IN ADDITION, TOWER CONTINUED FUNDING MULTI-YEAR SENIOR INVESTIGATOR GRANTS. TOTAL SCIENTIFIC GRANT EXPENDITURES IN 2021 TOPPED $1,100,000. INVESTING IN NOVEL IDEAS OF YOUNG INVESTIGATORS ALLOWS US TO LEVERAGE OUR DONOR DOLLARS TO HAVE MAXI-MUM IMPACT. IN 2021 ALONE, OUR PREVIOUS CAREER DEVELOPMENT GRANTEES WENT ON TO EARN OVER $7.2 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM THE RESEARCH DATA CREATED UNDER OUR GRANT PROGRAM.OUR CLINICALLY-GROUNDED SURVIVORSHIP SUPPORT PROGRAMS, HOSTED BY MAGNOLIA HOUSE, ALIGN WITH THE CHAL-LENGES FACED BY PATIENTS, SURVIVORS, AND THE WHOLE CANCER COMMUNITY. WE PROVIDE INTEGRATIVE HEALTH AND WELLNESS SUPPORT AND EDUCATION, THROUGH FREE FITNESS, THERAPEUTIC, AND HOLISTIC CLASSES, THAT EM-POWERPEOPLE TO DEVELOP A PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL TOOLKIT TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF CANCER FROM DIAGNOSIS TO SURVIVORSHIP. IN 2021, TOWER INVESTED OVER $500,000 IN SURVIVORSHIP PROGRAMS. IN 2013, MAGNOLIA HOUSE SURVIVORSHIP SUPPORT PROGRAM OFFERED 200 CLASSES AND HAD 500 VISITS IN THE FIRST YEAR. IN 2021, MAGNOLIA HOUSE OFFERED OVER 1500 CLASSES/SERVICES AND RECEIVED OVER 20,000 PARTICIPANT VISITS. IN RE-SPONSE TO COVID19, WE CONTINUED OFFERING CLASSES ONLINE VIA ZOOM WHICH HAS EXPANDED THE DE-MOGRAPHICS IN WHICH WE SERVICE AND ENABLED US TO INCREASE OUR CLASS CAPACITIES. EVEN WITH AN INCREASE IN CLASS CAPACITIES, MANY OF OUR CLASSES HAD A WAIT LIST WHICH HIGHLIGHTS BOTH THE QUALITY IN THE PROGRAMS WE OFFER AND THE VOID THAT EXISTS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ISOLATION MANY CANCER PATIENTS CONTINUE TO EXPE-RIENCE DUE TO COVID19. PARTICIPANTS VIEW MAGNOLIA HOUSE SURVIVORSHIP SUPPORT PROGRAM AS A LIFELINE THAT PROVIDES NOT ONLY ENHANCED QUALITY OF LIFE BUT A COMMUNITY OF FRIENDSHIP, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND COMFORT AS WELL. ONE EXAMPLE THAT REFLECTS THE IMPACT OF MAGNOLIA HOUSE IS RECEIVING MULTIPLE DONA-TIONS FROM ONE GRATEFUL MAGNOLIA HOUSE PARTICIPANT THAT HAS TOTALED $85,000 IN SUPPORT OF MAGNOLIA HOUSE. IT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST GIFTS FROM A MAGNOLIA HOUSE PARTICIPANT SINCE ITS INCEPTION. TOWER'S COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP GRANT REVIEW COMMITTEE IS COMPOSED OF EXPERT VOLUNTEERS WHO RE-VIEW APPLICATIONS IN DEPTH AND THEN MEET TO DISCUSS GRANT APPLICATIONS FROM CANCER SUPPORT ORGANIZA-TIONS ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. IN 2021, WE FUNDED $200,000 IN COMMUNITY PARTNER GRANTS AND RE-STRUCTURED OUR REVIEW PROCESS TO NOT ONLY INCLUDE IMPROVED METHODS OF REVIEWING, BUT ALSO REVISED THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA TO REFLECT A MORE TARGETED FOCUS ON FUNDING ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT UNDER-SERVED AND UNDER RESOURCED COMMUNITIES ALLOWING US TO EXTEND OUR SUPPORT TO THOSE MOST IN NEED OF CARE.