A few days ago I wrote about Malecare’s new program addition, Start A Cure in my post “Announcing A New Research Platform – Start A Cure.” The program goal is to raise funding for cancer research by allowing each of us, as individuals, to pick the projects we want to fund and then to make a contribution to see the research is performed. This is simple a win-win for all. Researchers get funding and we get our cures.

Currently, we have 18 different projects to pick from and last night we received two additional ones, which will be added. I anticipate that we will be adding additional research projects as we go along, including projects looking at other organ sites. I am going to, over the course of time, take each project and on the blog write a very simple explanation of each project, one at a time.

The first project is called “Molecular Radiotherapy for Metastatic Prostate Cancer.” The project comes out of Johns Hopkins University and is being championed by Doctor Martin Pomper lab with Sridhar Nimmagadda, Ronnie Mease and Catherine Foss.

They are interested in creating alpha omitting radiation particles as a treatment that is based on already existing imaging targeting agents they have developed. Alpha emitting particles have a very narrow reach, which limits their effect on surrounding tissue, limiting unwanted negative side effects. Delivering these alpha-emitting particles with the target imaging agents can deliver treatment to the cancer prostate cells without collateral damage to surrounding tissue.

I urge you to go to www.StartACure.com and learn about the many important research projects to starting a cure to cancer that you can directly become a part.

Joel T Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.