News & Events

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July 15, 2023

July is Sarcoma Cancer Awareness Month

A $10,000 Donation was made to the incredible Stegmaier Laboratory at 

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  

We will continue to find and support Drs and research teams

that are in the forefront of Sarcoma cancer breakthroughs.

Thank you Dr. Stegmaier and the entire Stegmaier Lab team 

for your tireless efforts to help find new discoveries for 

Sarcoma Cancer treatment options.

To learn more about the Stegmaier Laboratory visit:  Stegmaier Lab (harvard.edu) 

April 12, 2022

In Honor of William’s Birthday,

a $5,000 Donation to The Integrative Therapies Program at 

Mass General Cancer Center 

This support program offers free wellness services, like acupuncture, yoga and music therapy. This program was so helpful to Bill during his cancer treatments.  Thank you to amazing team members like Hugo Lopez and Irene Martyniuk for their kindness and talent.  So grateful for all you do every day to help others.

January 12, 2022 

The William J. Riley Foundation is proud to announce a $10,000 donation has been made to support Dr. Timothy Chan, and his exciting new research.  

 A team lead by Dr. Chan at Cleveland Clinic are working together with the focused goal of achieving groundbreaking treatment options to offer hope for pediatric and young adult patients facing aggressive cancers like Ewing's Sarcoma. 

Dr. Chan has discovered that neoantigens can be targeted by immunotherapies that reactivate patient immune cells.  Dr. Chan is working on developing immunotherapy options to save lives and move away from toxic therapies and toward personalized treatments that use the body's own cells to achieve remission. 

Targeted research efforts like this will help move forward the treatment options and potential cure for Sarcoma cancer.  

Thank you, Dr. Chan for your dedication to finding the answer.   

April  12,  2021

William  J. Riley  Foundation is  proud  to  announce  a  $20,000 donation  made  to  Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in support of Dr. Christopher Vakoc MD,  PhD. for his sarcoma cancer research.
Dr  Vakoc  and  his team  are  workings  on  discoveries  that will be highly impactful in  the  hunt  for  drug  targets  in Ewing’s sarcoma  and  rhabdomyosarcoma.
Cancer cells achieve their pathogenicity by changing which genes are on and off. To maintain these changes in gene expression, cancer cells rely on proteins that interact with DNA or modify chromatin. Dr.  Vakoc and his  team  investigate  how such factors sustain the aberrant capabilities of cancer cells, thereby identifying new therapeutic targets. Cold  Spring  Harbor  Laboratory is  a National Cancer  Institute designated center  for  Cancer  Research

August,  2020

The William J. Riley Foundation, Inc. is pleased to announce that a $15,000 Donation was 

made to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY.

This gift will specifically benefit the Sarcoma Cancer Research under the direction of 

Dr. Chris Vakoc, M.D.,Ph.D.

Dr. Vakoc is utilizing CRISPR to identify new targets for sarcoma cancer treatments.  These discoveries are leading them to investigate the possibility that Ewing sarcoma cancer cells 

can be tricked into becoming ‘normal’ cells.  Dr. Vakoc says: “Our ongoing work is investigating how these targets feed cancer growth and we seek to find chemicals that selectively block their function” 

The William J. Riley Foundation is dedicated to supporting Sarcoma Cancer Research and we are proud to help fund Dr. Vakoc with such important work.

November 23, 2019

William J. Riley Foundation, Inc. a charitable organization, announces $10,000 donation to Cleveland Clinic  to support Dr. Jacob Scott’s Ewing’s Sarcoma Cancer Research program. 

Jacob Scott, MD, DPhil, and his team are evolving drug resistance in Ewing's Sarcoma cell lines. By examining the changes that occur in the cells genomes, they hope to understand why drugs stop working for patients, and can help guide future treatment options.

To learn more about Dr. Scott and his work at Cleveland Clinic, visit: https://www.lerner.ccf.org/Thor/Scott/lab/people/

August 16, 2019

The William J. Riley Foundation is pleased to announce that  a $10,000  Donation will be used to support the Sarcoma Cancer research efforts of Dr. Edwin Choy from Mass General Cancer Center, Boston, MA. Dr. Choy and his team conduct research primarily via clinical trials, where promising sarcoma agents are tested in the clinic.  Their work is currently centering on a drug called cabozantinib, that might be the next new drug for treating sarcoma.   He is  currently working with the manufacturer in trying to design a national clinical trial for this drug to try to get FDA approval.  In addition, Dr. Choy is interested in immunotherapy options for patients.  In particular, trying to treat NY-ESO and other sarcoma antigens which might be targets that our own immune system could use.  
For more information see Dr. Choy's research abstract and publications on this web site:  http://www.dfhcc.harvard.edu/insider/member-detail/member/edwin-choy-md-phd/
 

December, 2018

Willam J. Riley Foundation has recently made a $10,000 donation  to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Sarcoma Research Program.  Brilliant doctors and scientists are working hard to find a cure. We are honored to support this amazing research laboratory