In 2007, the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse and supporting events made possible a $425,000 donation to the Medical College of Wisconsin. With this contribution, the Showhouse funded three 2-year grants of $132,250 to $142,000 in breast and prostate cancer research. Recipients of the awards are:

• Rimas Orentas, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics in Hematology/ Oncology, and colleagues, for their project: Cell-Based Vaccines for Breast Cancer. The ultimate goal of their promising cancer vaccine research is to generate data leading to development of clinical trials for patients with breast cancer.
• Jong-In Park, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, for a project on Kinase Activity-Independent Signaling of ERK1/2 in Prostate Cancer. Mechanism-based therapies directed at tumor specific pathways offer hope for development of novel treatments. A new therapy that can suppress prostate cancer via a novel growth-inhibitory signaling pathway could offer survival benefits for patients.
• Jianhua Fu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, for a project on the Crystal Structure of RNA Polymerase II-DSIF Complex: Structural Basis for ER-mediated Inhibition of Estrogen-dependent Transcription. Excessive stimulation by estrogen results in increased risk of breast cancer. Likewise, high levels of estrogen receptor (ER) may lead to the same outcome. The goal of this research is to provide the molecular basis for estrogen receptor-regulated genetic transcription responses, and ultimately, a basis for new breast cancer therapies.

Promising breast and prostate cancer research by past recipients of Showhouse grants has led to over $11 million in extramural research grants awarded to the Medical College of Wisconsin by the National Institutes of Health and other foundations.

Showhouse donations have also been set aside for a special research development fund. This Showhouse Lab Fund totals more than $533,000 and will be used to recruit a new, high-level faculty member dedicated to breast cancer research.

To date, the Showhouse has donated over $3 million to fund research at the Medical College.

Grant proposals submitted to the WBCS are peer-reviewed and ranked in order of priority by a committee of the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center members. The proposals are then submitted to the WBCS for its consideration. The WBCS Scientific Advisory Committee, comprising MCW cancer researchers, community oncologist, and survivors reviews the proposals and makes its recommendations to the WBCS Board of Directors, which votes for approval and funding.

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