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About the Morgan Adams Foundation

While The Morgan Adams Foundation is new as an organization, its founders are not novices to the field of philanthropy. Prior to launching this foundation, Joan and Steven spent several years leading a volunteer committee to organize fundraising events, including artma and Concours d’Elegance. In three short years, their fundraising work has resulted in donations of more than $300,000 for cancer research at The Children’s Hospital.

The Morgan Adams Foundation is a natural progression of their efforts to raise awareness and financial support for pediatric cancer. Foundation status helps this organization attract individual contributions, foundation grants and corporate donations. By increasing available funds, The Morgan Adams Foundation will continue to finance much needed areas of cancer research, treatment and support as well as other viable cancer-related programs. The foundation will continue to host annual fundraising events, providing a minimum annual research donation of $100,000 to The Children’s Hospital. Through these efforts, The Morgan Adams Foundation will greatly expand the treatment options for youth in our community.

The OBJECTIVES of The Morgan Adams Foundation are to:

Provide funding for both basic science and clinical research in neuro-oncology at Children’s Hospital

Support pilot projects which translate into potential therapies for people with cancer

Assist families and children to cope with the diagnosis and treatment of chronic and terminal diseases (e.g., supporting summer camps for terminally ill children)

Provide assistance and resources to families of children whose cancers prove fatal (e.g., home-based terminal care, psychologists for grief counseling)

Support research conducted outside The Children’s Hospital, with the hope of expanding treatment options for youth in the Rocky Mountain region

There are two areas of emphasis for our Foundation projects:
The Children's Neuro-Concology Consortium and the Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigators Consortium (POETIC)

The Morgan Adams Memorial Neuro-Oncology Research Fund

The Morgan Adams Memorial Neuro-Oncology research fund at The Children’s Hospital in Denver was started in November of 1998, after Morgan, age 6, lost her battle with a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor. In 2001, artma, and in 2003, The Morgan Adams Concours d’Elegance were conceived as new ways to increase the fund resources, thereby giving greater support to research efforts being conducted in neuro-oncology and other areas of childhood cancer. These events have received an incredible show of support from the community – and together have contributed close to $375,000 to the fund. Below we have accounted for how that money has been spent. We are proud of what has been accomplished, but there is much work to be done.

Thank you for helping us support for these and other crucial projects!

Projects - 2004

Gene chip analysis and prediction of prognosis in ependymoma. $35,000

Genotypic differences between choroid plexus carcinomas and AT/RT. $22,000 (5/04)

Phase I/II study of Temodar/VP16 in GBMs - Data management funds (collaborative with Rochester , NY ). $10,000

Lab study of synergy between temodar and VP16. $10,000.00 - 15,000

Multi-centered, complex study of high dose therapy study in resistant/recurrent brain tumors - Data management to be done in Denver . $15,000.00 - 20,000

Follow-up quality of life study  (a rolling study with all children now over 12 and 5 years out, to be enrolled every summer). $3,000 -$5,000 per annum for next 3 years.

Selective targeting of the caspase 3 pathway in apoptosis in GBMs.  $25,000

A quarter of a salary for our data bank and IRB submission needs. $20,000

Study of how to stream line and make more effective applications for financial assistance for the indigent families of children with brain tumors (K. Tilley). $2,000.00

Scientific trials in the late-effect-clinics to determine benefits of interventions to improve quality of life (Bassel). $15,000.00

Pending Approval

Interaction between spinal block radiation and thiotepa on risk of liver veno-occlusive disease.  Clinical study with laboratory correlates. $15,000.00 - 20,000.00

Phase I/II study of oxaliplatin and thiotepa in GBMs   ( Denver as site center for multi-centered trial – L.Gore). $10,000.00 - 15,000.00

Neurosurgical studies – TBD. $20,000.00 

 

Projects Funded 2002 and 2003

Medulloblastoma, molecular prognostic testing (collaboration with MD Anderson). $3000

Factors causing bleeding in newly diagnosed patients with brain tumors. (A. Smith). $32,000

Survivin as a prognostic marker in medulloblastoma and ATRT. (A.Smith). Initial $2000, subsequent funding obtained elsewhere

Apoptosis (programmed) cell death in GBM and Caspase Expression. (J. Fleitz). $15,000

Ganglioside expression and immunosuppression in GBM. (J. Fleitz and N. Foreman). $45,000

Ganglioside modification and development of improved tumor vaccine in GBM. (N. Foreman). Initial $22,000, then subsequent funding applied for by ABTA.

PKC zeta expression and potential as a target for initial therapy in GBM. (N.Foreman). $10,000

Development of novel therapies in pediatric brain tumor (e.g.Temodar/VP16 in recurrent GBM). $15,000

Support for development of consortium for rapid trials of pediatric brain tumors. (Eight center consortium including Toronto Sick Children’s, MD Anderson, LA Children’s). $20,000

Commitment for play therapy trial for pediatric brain tumors. $5,000

Presentation of results at national and international meetings. Approximately $3,000

Choroid Plexus Carcinoma and Rhabdoid Tumors: Phenotypic and Genotypic Overlap. (Ashmead & Foreman). $3,000

Cytogenetics in Low-grade Astrocytomas. (Orr and Foreman). $2,500

Generalized phase I studies in pediatric malignancies – program development (L. Gore). $50,000

The Morgan Adams Foundation | 5303 E. Evans Avenue, Suite 202, Denver, CO 80222 | (303) 758-2130
email:  joan@morganadamsfoundation.org

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