We want to thank our friends at Concern Foundation, one of our “I’m Tired of Cancer” bracelet charity beneficiaries, for sharing with us notes of appreciation from scientists and others doing research, thanks to their grants. We thought it would be interesting to you to learn how donations are truly put to work. Here are a couple of great examples:

“The CONCERN award helps new investigators like me and places particular emphasis on research that can make a real difference in the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer. In my case, my research is geared toward managing the dose-limiting side effects of a class of chemotherapeutic agents…By funding a postdoctoral fellow, CONCERN greatly facilitates the ability of new investigators to set up a working laboratory and to obtain preliminary results, which in turn increases our chances of obtaining extramural funding. In my case, CONCERN funds allowed me to recruit a scientist with experience in stem cell research. I am extremely grateful to the CONCERN Foundation for your generosity. By helping new investigators to launch their research, CONCERN really helps promote innovative research that makes a difference in cancer treatment and prevention.”

— Manel Camps, D.V.M., Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz, 2008 Conquer Cancer Now Grant Recipient

“The grant from the Concern Foundation had an enormous impact on the careers of our researchers. From among the researchers supported during the period between 1981 and 2007, 25 have become full professors in Sweden or abroad, 6 in the United States. Our large center, MTC, with a staff of about 400, has celebrated its 15th anniversary recently. There have been four directors during this period. Three of them, Ingemar Ernberg, Klas Kärre, and our present director, Marie Henriksson, have started their careers as fellows under this grant. The fellowship from the matching grant, awarded jointly by Concern and CRI, was of decisive importance, because they could not have been supported otherwise during the decisive phase of their careers within our academic system otherwise. Altogether 52 doctoral theses have been defended by fellows who started their careers under the fellowship.”

— George Klein, M.D., Karolinska Institute, Ongoing Research Endowment