Our Research Impact

    When you donate to CR&T, you directly support cancer patients by funding the research of prominent physician-scientists who are working to discover and apply new treatments for blood malignancies and other types of common cancers.  CR&T’s Medical Advisory Board comprises basic science cancer researchers and clinical oncologists who are leaders in their field. These investigators support our belief that blood cancer research is a keystone that will help find a cure for many types of malignancies.

    For more than half a century, our Board of Directors has been working with these medical leaders to identify promising projects that will lead to significant discoveries in the myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), as well as leukemia, breast cancer, and lung cancer.  We also focus on using gene mapping to develop new, molecule-targeting agents that affect the genetic makeup of cancers and contribute to treatments that improve patients’ quality of life.

    The Challenge

    According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1.8 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed this year, while more than 700,000 Americans will die of these diseases.  Even as medical research makes significant strides, we still have a long way to go in improving treatments and the quality of life for cancer patients.

    Our Flagship Initiative: The Silver MPN Center

    CR&T has provided more than $7 million to establish the Richard T. Silver MD Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, which was dedicated in 2014.  Our goal is to build the world’s leading center dedicated to research and care for patients who have these blood cancers. Learn about the Center here.

    A History of Achievements

    We’re proud of the research achievements that we have funded over the past fifty-four years. CR&T-funded investigators have:

    • Participated in the development of new therapies for Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma;
    • Contributed to the use of interferon alpha and other biologics in treating myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs);
    • Supported FDA studies leading to the FDA’s approval of imatinib (Gleevec®), a revolutionary biologic drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia;
    •  Contributed to the understanding of how and why breast cancers spread, and to the development of new breast cancer treatments;
    •  Identified the processes of blood cell formation, which led to a new treatment for blood diseases and solid tumor cancers through anti-angiogenesis; and
    • Contributed to the discovery of the molecular mechanism that causes some patients to be resistant to ibrutinib, an important drug used to treat mantle cell leukemia.

    The Future of Research

    New discoveries are being made regularly in the field of cancer research, and our Medical Advisory Board keeps an eye out for updates that might be of interest to CR&T supporters.  Check out our Research Updates section for current and archived articles, and links to published papers from scientific journals.