Mesothelioma Grant Research Helps to Find a Cure

Since there is no cure for mesothelioma cancer, research grants are extremely important in the fight to discover a cure for this rare disease. A recent increase in requests for a mesothelioma grant highlights the importance of research funding and the need for more grant money.

The Meso Foundation Research Grant Program, started in 2000 by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF or Meso Foundation), is the primary independent source of mesothelioma research funding in the United States. To date, the Meso Foundation has funded nearly $6 million in mesothelioma-related research projects throughout the world.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that is almost always caused by asbestos exposure. The disease has a long latency period of 20 to 50 years. Mesothelioma statistics report that averages of 2,000 to 3,000 cases of the disease are reported in the United States annually. Unfortunately, symptoms of the cancer do not arise until later stages of development when treatment options are limited. There currently is no cure for this disease and most treatment efforts are palliative, aiming to relieve pain rather than cure the cancer.

Because there is no cure, researching the disease is extremely important to improving a patient’s prognosis and their quality of life. In an effort to help find a cure, MARF started the Meso Foundation Research Grant Program and today remains the primary source of mesothelioma research funding. In 2008 alone, a total of 59 researchers from around the globe applied for grant money from the Meso Foundation.

To help with the selection process, a scientific review panel of 21 experts in the field reviews the applications and ranks them according to importance. Of those 59 applicants from 2008, the top five projects were selected to receive funding by MARF’s board of directors. Projects that receive funding are often researching strategies for early diagnosis, new treatment options or pain management.


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