Kay Yow Cancer Fund Awards $100,000 Grant To Dr. Deepali Sachdev of Masonic Cancer Center
Minneaplis, MN (March 30, 2022) — The Kay Yow Cancer Fund® has awarded a $100,000 cancer research grant to Dr. Deepali Sachdev of Masonic Cancer Center for research in the area of Triple Negative Breast Cancer with an emphasis on its disproportionate effects on Black women.
The grant was awarded in support of Dr. Sachdev’s project entitled, “Novel Immunotherapy Targeting IGF1R/IR in Triple Negative Breast Cancer.”
“My research group is appreciative of funding from the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in Black women and men is aggressive and needs new therapeutic options to reduce mortality,” said Sachdev. “With this funding, we will test if a novel immunotherapy drug will kill TNBC cells in preclinical models established from Black women and men with TNBC.”
As charity of choice and the philanthropic arm of women’s basketball, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund is deeply rooted in the sport of women’s basketball. Over the past 15 years, the women’s basketball community has impacted the fight against ALL cancers affecting women by funding research grants and programs that provide access to quality cancer healthcare for underserved women through the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. In recognition of the women’s basketball community’s ongoing support for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund’s mission, the Fund awards a grant in the host city of the NCAA Women’s Final Four in support of the fight against ALL cancers affecting women.
Stephanie Glance, CEO of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, presented Dr. Sachdev with the grant at a news conference today at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Final Four press conference at Huntington Bank Stadium.
“It was Coach Yow’s wish that the Kay Yow Cancer Fund award a grant annually in the host city of the Women’s Final Four on behalf of the sport of women’s basketball,” said Glance. “We are thrilled to fund Dr. Sachdev’s life-saving work in the area of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). We know there is such a significant need for this type of research as TNBC is an aggressive form of cancer, with an increased mortality rate that disproportionately affects Black women.”
Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball, lauded the legacy Yow has left in both the sport of women’s basketball and the communities that host the annual Women’s Final Four.
“Throughout her life, Coach Kay Yow demonstrated unparalleled leadership on and off the basketball court, impacting the lives not only of those student-athletes who played for her but also those throughout her community,” said Holzman. “For the past 15 years, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has continued her work by leaving a lasting legacy in the communities that welcome the entire women’s basketball community for the Women’s Final Four, and we are thrilled to continue this partnership here in Minneapolis.”
About the Kay Yow Cancer Fund
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund was officially founded on December 3, 2007, from the vision of the organization’s namesake, Kay Yow, former NC State University head women’s basketball coach. Coach Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 before succumbing to the disease on January 24, 2009. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against ALL women’s cancers through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved, and unifying people for a common cause. To date, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has awarded $7.88 million in the fight against ALL cancers affecting women. For more information on the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, or to donate, please visit KayYow.com.
About Masonic Cancer Center
The Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, is the Twin Cities’ only Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated ‘Outstanding’ by the National Cancer Institute. As Minnesota’s Cancer Center, we have served the entire state for more than 25 years. Our researchers, educators, and care providers have worked to discover the causes, prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer and cancer-related diseases. Learn more at cancer.umn.edu
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