QuadW Sarcoma
Biostatistics Office

One of the largest obstacles in the field of sarcoma research is simply finding adequate tissue samples with which to conduct experiments. QuadW addressed a major need in the medical field by providing our largest grant to create the QuadW Childhood Sarcoma Office of Biostatistics and Annotation. This collaborative initiative with the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) has provided the biostatistics personnel and software resources necessary to statistically analyze researchers’ experimental results.

In addition, the initiative has made research easier by improving the cataloging, quality assesment, and annotation of osteosarcoma tumor samples stored in the COG’s centralized tissue bank.

Having high quality, well annotated tissue samples is crucial to the process of studying the biology of osteosarcoma. QuadW supports the research community with a selection of tissues that are well-documented, well-kept, and experimentally viable.

Grant funds were also used to sponsor an international gathering of researchers interested in analyzing the coming data from bone sarcoma genome sequencing studies. The Bone Sarcoma Genetics Consortium aims to provide an avenue for sharing and collaboration among these top researchers.

SARC Unified Database

The Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration, SARC, is a cooperative group of some 40 hospitals that collaborate to conduct experimental clinical trials for sarcomas. In the past, the data for these trials has been documented on whatever database system was used by the lead hospital for each trial. This method has resulted in datasets that cannot be easily compared or combined to answer research questions. The SARC Unified Database project consolidates findings from the clinical trials of multiple research institutions to allow an open exchange of information, and provides a standard system to be used for future trials. This system ensures that doctors and researchers are not duplicating each other’s efforts and can move more expediently towards finding a cure.

Young Investigator Award

QuadW encourages young leadership in sarcoma research by annually sponsoring the Willie Tichenor Young Investigator Award in Sarcoma through the Conquer Cancer Foundation (ASCO). This grant helps investigators in the early stages of their careers by providing funding for their clinical research endeavors.

Chinese Biorepository

Dr. Ching Lau of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston plans to establish a bone tumor tissue bank in Beijing, China in collaboration with Chinese institutions. QuadW Board members attended the Jishiutan Orthopedics Forum in Beijing in April, 2010 to meet potential project partners.

Novel Mouse Model

The novel mouse model, developed by Dr. Jason Yustein at Baylor College of Medicine, is supported by the QuadW Foundation. This project mimics in mice the metastatic process of osteosarcoma in order to give a truer picture of the biology and genetics of the disease.

Other Sarcoma Initiatives

Complementing the Foundation’s initiatives, Mac and Lisa Tichenor volunteer in projects benefiting the sarcoma research community. Mac serves as chairman of the board of the Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration (SARC) and Lisa is a member of the external advisory board for a grant in metastatic osteosarcoma research to Baylor College of Medicine from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).