Funding Successes
The number of people who were moved by Tara’s courage and her character is second only to the number of lives that will be forever changed by her legacy.
The Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania
Through our partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, the Tara Miller Melanoma Foundation (TMMF) has contributed to cutting-edge cancer research that directly benefits melanoma patients. Over $2.9 million in funding has provided grants, secured clinical trials, supported new treatments, and beyond for the university’s cancer researchers.
Read the foundation’s Annual impact report from the university to see the full fiscal influence of our efforts.
$4,189,000 funded to melanoma research at the University of Pennsylvania Melanoma Program
$1,634,000
Funding from the TMMF has supported novel approaches like uncovering the uses of copper in melanoma treatment and two innovative clinical trials: one for CAR T cell therapy in melanoma, and one for a personalized vaccine approach. The latest findings about cooper being used as a therapeutic strategy for melanoma were published in Cancer Research this past year.
(Funded in: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020)
$350,000
These projects pair therapies such as checkpoint blockades, radiation, or novel immunotherapy in combination with one another to encourage patient response. Support from TMMF accelerated a clinical trial nicknamed RadVax that led to securing a major government grant.
(Funded in: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020)
$1,325,000
This area of research is critical to improving our understanding of response to therapy and predicting its success in advance. The team at Penn recently pooled its findings with an international consortium that validated earlier TMMF-funded studies. Funding has enabled three clinical trials to determine response, three studies to improve therapeutic targets, and the development of new technologies for predictive data analysis.
(Funded in: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
$380,000
With investments from the TMMF, Penn led studies on disrupting melanoma's spread through the lymphatic system and advanced knowledge on why the brain is uniquely suited to fostering melanoma metastasis. The newest focus is on developing techniques to better understand the unique tumor genetics that are driving tumor growth in the brain and, ultimately, identify better treatments based on mutations found.
(Funded in: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020)
$500,000
These projects seek to change the odds by overwhelming cancer cells and prevent them from developing this resistance to treatment. With support from the TMMF, Penn has published four papers and led three clinical trials advancing this work.
(Funded in: 2015, 2016, 2017)
Tara’s family and Abramson Cancer Center leadership at the official naming ceremony of the Tara Miller Melanoma Center.
Breakthrough Study
Targeted therapies, like those that target a BRAF mutation, often work initially but eventually stop being effective. Tara experienced this very challenge during her own treatment but, thanks to early support from TMMF, Dr. Arjun Raj, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Penn, and his team developed a tool called Rewind that identifies rare cells by using a DNA barcode to identify which ones become resistant to drug treatment. Once identified, scientists can then analyze features like the gene and protein expression of the cell to investigate why it became resistant. Melanoma patients are fortunate to have many more options today, but work like this will make such an important impact on patients who ultimately stop responding to available therapies. Overcoming resistance is critical to changing the odds for all melanoma patients.
This important breakthrough was published in Nature Biotechnology in February 2021.
“The mission Tara started was to change the odds for future patients. She knew the way to do that was funding research. She would be incredibly proud to know the impact her foundation has made on this disease – in the past five years, philanthropic funding has allowed us to make breakthroughs, discover new treatment options and changed the way we approach this disease.”
$1,275,000 Funded to Melanoma Research Alliance Young Investigators
Every year, TMMF works with the MRA to identify influential melanoma research projects throughout the world. Since the foundation was started, four new therapies we have helped fund have been approved by the FDA. The impacts and benefits of melanoma research are felt broadly, with treatments and therapies developed for melanoma now used to treat over 30 different cancers. With more treatments being researched than ever before, this is truly an incredible moment in the fight against cancer. Learn more about our efforts in our latest research impact report.
Our funds go directly towards those projects, with the hopes of providing the money needed to continue their efforts to one day develop a cure. Each awardee received $225,000 towards their efforts.
2020 Awardee: Michael Pacold, New York University School of Medicine (funded $75,000 for first year of commitment)
Targeting 1-Carbon Metabolism in Melanoma Brain Metastases
2019 Awardee: Russell Jenkins, Massachusetts General Hospital
TANK-Binding Kinase 1 (TBK1) As A Novel Cancer Immunotherapy Target
2018 Awardee: A. Hunter Shain, Ph.D. University of California San Francisco
The Genomic Landscape of Individual Melanocytes from Human Skin
Dr. Shain studies genetic mutations present in normal melanocytes – the cell type that gives rise to melanoma – to better understand melanoma initiation and progression. By sequencing the DNA of individual melanocytes from human skin, he hopes to further develop tests to detect suspicious fields of mutant melanocytes.
2017 Awardee: Kunal Rai, Ph.D. University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Epigenetic Effectors of Responses to Immune Checkpoint Blockade Agents
Dr. Rai tests patients treated with immunotherapies to see if regulators of genetic activity might inhibit response to such treatment. These results might ultimately lead to a test that can predict response to cancer immunotherapies in melanoma patients, as well as new treatment combination strategies.
2016 Awardee: Yuval Tabach, Ph.D. Hebrew University
Identification of Novel Regulators of Melanoma Brain Metastasis
By better understanding patterns of DNA modifications and gene expression that are associated with melanoma brain metastasis, Dr. Tabach’s team aims to identify novel therapeutic targets for suppressing and treating metastases to the brain.
2015 Awardees: Tara Gangadhar, M.D. & Christina Twyman-Saint Victor, M.D. University of Pennsylvania
Radiation and Immune Checkpoint Blockade from Mechanism to Patients
The research of Drs. Gangadhar and Twyman-Saint Victor suggests new combination therapies that might improve patient responses to cancer immune therapies, as well as molecular indicators for when combination therapy is needed.
5 Year Melanoma Survival Rate
In 2014, about 20% of patients responded to the treatments available.
Last year, 50% of patients were responding to treatments. The dollars you help us raise aren’t just going towards trying making a difference and hopefully changing the odds – they have made a difference and we have changed the odds.
“I wanted to reach out and personally thank all of you (as well as Tara, of course) because I know the immunotherapy treatment that I'm so lucky to have as an option is due to all of the work and research funding that you have put into finding a cure. It's literally saving my life.”
– Danielle P.
Stage 4 melanoma patient diagnosed June 2018
Percentage of survival rates for patients with melanoma therapies TMMF has supported.