Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Wynnewood, PA (February 3, 2009) – Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a leader in driving childhood cancer research, today announced the awarding of the very first Butterfly Foundation Epidemiology Grant to Sheng Zhong, MD of the University of California at San Francisco. The research grant, designed to support research focusing on the prevention of childhood cancer, will examine the causes of leukemia, the environmental interactions that may produce these causes, and when they may occur. This grant is the result of a unique partnership between ALSF and The Butterfly Foundation in an effort to move together toward a shared vision – a cure for all childhood cancer.

ALSF and The Butterfly Foundation decided to work together after Liz and Jay Scott, Vice President of Development and Executive Director of ALSF, respectively, met with Carol Pasqual, President and Founder of The Butterfly Foundation. Pasqual, who had started The Butterfly Foundation after her 5-year-old daughter succumbed to neuroblastoma, was looking for an established grant program to utilize the funds raised through her foundation. Pasqual was impressed with the ALSF grant review process, which includes 36 leading scientists from across the country, and inquired about forming a partnership. This is the first grant to be awarded within that partnership.

ALSF emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). At the age of 4, Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has raised more than $25 million towards fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 80 research projects nationally.

Sheng Zhong, M.D. was selected from a pool of applicants to receive the first of many grants to be distributed by ALSF in 2009. The two-year award, totaling nearly $100,000 is entitled “Application of Epigenetic Markers for Early Detection of Childhood Leukemia.” Epigenetics is the study of the way that genes are controlled. Dr. Zhong’s research will aim to improve the understanding of epigenetics of childhood leukemias, and discovering new markers that can be used to gauge the risk of developing the disease.

“In order to approach the prevention of leukemia, we need to know the deepest intricacies of the disease,” Dr. Zhong said. “Our focus for the project is to build a better understanding of the way genes are controlled within the disease, and find out whether markers can be used to help detect leukemia early. The collaboration between these leading cancer organizations and their funding of our project will allow us to truly examine the inner workings of leukemia.”

“It is an honor to be working alongside The Butterfly Foundation toward a common goal of funding better treatments and ultimately cures for all childhood cancers. In order to do this, we recognize the need to also identify the causes of these cancers” said Jay Scott, Alex’s father. “Our daughters both succumbed to neuroblastoma, but there are so many different types of childhood cancer that need to be examined. Leukemia is only one. We plan to continue our partnership to fund and expand cutting edge cancer research projects.”

“It is truly a privilege to have the opportunity to work in tandem with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to uncover the causes of childhood cancers,” said Carol Pasqual, President and Founder of The Butterfly Foundation. “ALSF has empowered our small organization to fund innovative research and move toward our dream of stopping these cancers before they start. We are so very excited to see where Dr. Zhong’s project and our partnership with ALSF will lead us in the fight against childhood cancer.”
The Butterfly Foundation, also known as The Brittany Pasqual Pediatric Oncology Research Foundation, was created in 2002 in memory of 5-year-old Brittany Pasqual who succumbed to the same cancer as Alex Scott, neuroblastoma. In an effort to eliminate pediatric cancers, The Butterfly Foundation is dedicated to investigating and discovering the causes of pediatric cancer; developing effective strategies to prevent pediatric cancer; and educating and empowering those who are dealing with pediatric cancer through advocacy programs.
Along with the Epidemiology Grant, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation funds three other types of medical research grants which will be released in April of 2009:

• Innovation Awards providing critical and significant seed funding for experienced investigators with a novel and promising approach to finding causes and cures for childhood cancers.
• Program Infrastructure Awards providing funding for support personnel who speed up the process of enrolling children with cancer in clinical trials.
• Young Investigator Awards designed to fill the critical need for start up funds for new researchers and physicians to pursue promising research ideas.

(A complete list of grant recipients can be found at www.AlexsLemonade.org)