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Robert Urich Fund for Sarcoma Research

Like so many great achievements, the Robert Urich Fund for Sarcoma Research began not with fanfare, but with a personal commitment and a passion to make a difference.

Robert and Heather Urich established the fund in 1999 by donating funds received from a speaking engagement to the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Urich Fund has since become an endowed fund at the Cancer Center thanks to the family's dedication, the success of the first Robert Urich Golf Classic and the outpouring of individual and community tributes after Robert's tragic death in April, 2002. Funds raised in Robert's memory continue to be deposited into this protected account, where the interest earned will continue to advance sarcoma research and patient care initiatives into perpetuity.

The Urich Fund supports the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center's Sarcoma, or Connective Tissue, Oncology Program, which treats an entire family of cancers striking both adults and children. "Sarcoma" is a term used to describe cancers that arise in muscle, fat, blood vessels, deep skin tissues, nerves, bones and cartilage. There are two broad types of sarcoma: bone sarcoma and soft tissue sarcoma. It is estimated that in 2003, 2,400 new cases of bone sarcoma, and 8,300 new cases of soft tissue sarcoma will be diagnosed in the United States.

Attacking this devastating disease requires vigilance and creativity; answers may be found in unexpected places. One of the hallmarks of resourceful, innovative research is the ability to see a development in one area and apply it in another, very different area. With support from The Urich Fund, researchers at the UM Cancer Center are currently undertaking two such studies:

  • The now-familiar arthritis-fighting drug Celebrex® (Celecoxib) has recently gained the attention of cancer researchers for its ability to inhibit tumor vessel formation. Scientists studying a certain type of colon cancer have utilized high doses of Celeberex® to prevent colon polyps from becoming cancerous. Sarcoma researchers at the UM believe this discovery may hold promise in battling Synovial sarcoma, the soft tissue sarcoma that claimed the life of Robert Urich. These preliminary findings are being tested in a groundbreaking clinical trial. In this, the first study of its kind in the world, Synovial sarcoma patients across the U.S. who exhibit specific traits will be treated with either Celebrex® and/or the drug Herceptin® (Trastuzumab), a monoclonal antibody most commonly used to fight breast cancer.
  • UM scientists studying Ewing's sarcoma (a cancer of the bone marrow, most frequently striking young people) have learned from an advancement in the treatment of another childhood cancer, neuroblastoma (a tumor arising in the nervous system). These researchers have developed a new drug called MIG-B that attaches a radiolabel to a unique substance of the neuroblastoma tumor to destroy it. Ewing's sarcoma bears some similarities to neuroblastoma, and, following MIG-B as a model, our sarcoma investigators are working in partnership with scientists from The Johns Hopkins University to develop a similar drug for testing.

Thanks to the foresight and generosity of Robert and Heather Urich, tomorrow's cancer sufferers will continue to benefit from the fruit of the research that this endowment is designated to support.

Make a donation to this fund through our on-line giving form.

 

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