The Odyssey Group Foundation announced a new partnership with the University of Washington Foundation in May 2023 to support the continuation of the Kelsey Dickson Team Science Courage Research Award with a pledge of $1.5 million over the next three years.
The Kelsey Dickson Team Science Courage Research Award was established in 2015 when the Odyssey Group Foundation and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited issued a grant of $1 million to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) in support of ongoing research into the causes of, and treatment for Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC).
Research has been led by Dr. Paul Nghiem and his team based out of the University of Washington. Since this research began, the team has seen one-year survival rates for MCC rise by a factor of 10 (from 5% to 50%), immunotherapy become the new standard care for advanced MCC, and the first-ever drug be FDA-approved for the treatment of the disease.
This new University of Washington Foundation partnership will continue our support of Dr. Nghiem and his team’s focus on therapeutic strategies to target treatment-resistant MCC. Their progress thus far has been incredible, and the Odyssey Group Foundation is extremely proud to further support the ongoing research into the causes of, and treatment for MCC.
Additional information about the University of Washington Foundation is available at https://uwfoundationboard.org/about-the-foundation/.