More on the Direct Oncology Foundation and Livly

Here is more on the charity seeking to develop the granulocyte therapy pioneered by Zheng Cui: "While researching mouse sarcoma 180 (S180) cells in 1999, Zheng Cui, Mark Willingham, and colleagues at Wake Forest University happened upon something incredible - a mouse innately resistant to cancer. Several generations of offspring of this spontaneous regression/complete resistance (SR/CR) animal have also proven to be cancer-proof, therefore suggesting a genetic link. Further study indicated that immune cells, such as macrophages, could be derived from the resistant mice and then transferred into non-resistant animals to protect them from advanced cancers. Out of an interest in Cui's novel work came the Direct Oncology (DO) Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity that is banking on the potential for human cancer treatments based on innate oncological immunity. The DO Foundation now seeks to raise $100,000 to fund the complete sequencing of 6-10 cancer-resistant mice genomes ... To reach this goal, the foundation has enlisted the help of Livly, a non-profit organization based in Mountain View, CA, whose mission is to advance the development of cures for major diseases. ... There are a small number of [human] families who appear to have a genetic resistance to cancer, in the same way that Cui's mice are resistant to cancer ... The identification of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) responsible for the cancer immunity observed in Cui's mice is crucial in order to determine whether orthologous SNPs exist in humans."

Link: http://www.biotechniques.com/news/Charity-aims-to-raise-100K-to-sequence-cancer-resistant-mice/biotechniques-185862.html