ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Marylandian -- METAvivor Research and Support Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for Stage IV metastatic breast cancer (MBC), announces six additional grant awards, bringing the 2019 grant award total to $6,200,000.  The research grants will enhance the understanding of metastatic breast cancer, help improve current treatments and develop greatly needed therapeutic options to combat this complicated disease.

Metastatic breast cancer (also known as Stage IV or advanced stage cancer) is the spread of breast cancer to other parts of the body -- most commonly to the bones, liver, lungs and/or brain. Approximately 30% of breast cancer patients metastasize, with the mean survival after diagnosis being 33 months. In the US, only 2-5% of all cancer research funds are dedicated to Stage IV cancer research – yet 98% of all breast cancer deaths are caused by a metastasis.

"When we announced our grants in December, we were thrilled to have our largest grant award total since METAvivor's founding. Once we totaled our end of the year donations for research, we were able to award an additional six grants bringing this year's research award total to 38 grants and a grand total of $6.2 million" said Michael Kovarik, the new President of METAvivor's Board of Directors "We are humbled that our supporters have helped us exceed our goal for funding stage IV metastatic breast cancer in 2019 and we look forward to an even higher amount of awarded grants in 2020."

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The additional METAvivor grant awards are Translational Research Grant awards program is targeted at career metastasis researchers with a total award of up to $200,000 per grant for 2019.

"Research is our number one priority. It is imperative we increase research funding for stage IV metastatic breast cancer so that we can find life extending treatments. We continue to lose 114 people every day to metastatic breast cancer." Said Kovarik. "The hope is that the vital research that is being funded will help fulfill the promise to transform metastatic breast cancer from a terminal disease into a chronic, manageable condition."  METAvivor sends a hearty thank you to the donors, fundraisers, research partners, sponsors and the breast cancer community for helping exceed the research goal for 2019.

BELOW ARE THE SIX ADDITIONAL METASTATIC RESEARCH GRANT RECIPIENTS:

METAVIVOR TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AWARDS

Nancy Lin, MD - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Overcoming Treatment Resistance in Breast Cancer Brain Metastases

Bolin Liu, MD - Department of Genetics Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center School of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - IGF-2 in Herceptin refractory HER2-positive breast cancer

Paul Lockman, PhD - West Virginia University -Timing of radiotherapy and chemotherapy to improve drug effect in brain metastases of breast cancer

Presented by 2019 NYFW + #Cancerland in memory of Champagne Joy - Deepali Sachdev, BSc,MSc, PhD  Regents University - Development of natural killer cell based tri-specific killer engagers (TriKEs) as novel immunotherapy for metastatic breast cancer

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Robert Weinberg, PhD Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research - Mechanisms of Acquired Adaptation of Disseminated Breast Cancer Cells

Fei Xing, PhD Wake Forest University Treating breast cancer brain metastasis with immune checkpoint inhibitor and c-Met targeting agent

ABOUT METAVIVOR

METAvivor Research and Support Inc. is an Annapolis-based, 501(c)(3), volunteer-led, non-profit organization founded by metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients in 2009.  The organization's main focus is to fund critical research that will lead to advances in treatment options, quality of life and survival for patients diagnosed with MBC.  Since 2009, METAvivor has awarded 106 research grants totaling $13.6 million. METAvivor is the only national organization with a peer-reviewed grant program aimed at exclusively funding MBC research, and 100% of all donations go to fund research.

METAvivor also raises awareness of MBC, provides support for people living with this disease, and offers opportunities for others to help make a difference for the metastatic community. METAvivor has gained a rapidly growing following within the breast cancer community and has become a leader in its field.

Visit us at www.METAvivor.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.