Funding the science that leads to cures.

A big part of the Steven Vanover Foundation’s mission is to support cancer research. We are currently funding a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering, funding research at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and funding a medical oncologist with a focus in sarcoma within the Norton Cancer Institute. Learn more about these initiatives below.

Norton Cancer Institute

The Steven Vanover Foundation just inked pen to paper on the single largest pledge in the foundation’s history.

This $1,000,000 pledge with Norton Healthcare will bring the Steven Vanover Foundation Endowed Chair to the Norton Cancer Institute.

This chair will serve as a medical oncologist with an interest in sarcoma, the first of its kind in the state of Kentucky.

Dr. Shakeel Modak explains how this clinical study is making a difference in the lives of patients with DSRCT.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

The Steven Vanover Foundation currently supports a clinical trial led by Emily Slotkin, M.D., at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY.

This is one of the very few clinical trials studying treatments for desmoplastic small round cell tumors (DSRCT) in the United States. DSRCT is the rare form of soft tissue sarcoma that affected Steven.

The Steven Vanover Foundation has donated over $600,000 to this study, making it the largest single contributor to the study’s funding, and allowing the study to move forward into Phase II. This money is used to support the production of these innovative antibodies into treatment, and to cover associated costs. These funds are vitally important because this clinical trial receives np government funding. 

Results from the study have not yet been published, but preliminary data is showing increased 14-month survival rates. Click below to learn more about both Phase I and Phase II of the clinical trial.

  • The Phase I study evaluated the safety and efficacy of utilizing antibodies, along with chemotherapy, to treat DSRCT.  These antibodies were developed to recognize tumor cells, and are delivered by injection.  Utilizing this method means that radiation is targeted directly to tumor cells. This is important because this treatment is potentially less toxic and more effective than traditional radiation therapy.

  • In December 2022, the phase 2 clinical trial was almost halted due to a shortage of the drug and changes in its development after an FDA review for use in children with neuroblastoma. However, thanks to support our foundation's generous donors, Dr. Slotkin was able to produce the drug, omburtamab, in-house, ensuring that her patients' treatment continued without interruption. Memorial Sloan Kettering has now fully reopened the trial and is actively recruiting new patients. It remains the only place in the world offering this innovative therapy to those with DSRCT.

Sarcoma Foundation of America

The Steven Vanover Foundation has recently funded a grant with the Sarcoma Foundation of America, in an effort to drive more research efforts towards rare forms of Sarcoma, like DSRCT.

The grant has been awarded to Dr. Dan Truong, Ph.D. of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and will focus on the possibility of exploring immunotherapy in DSRCT.