Donate to Contribute
The noninvasive method of the UCLA Liquid Biopsy Lab’s technology improves patient comfort while allowing for detection of cancer at an early and treatable stage. Your donation plays a significant role in allowing us to continue to progress in our research, from proof-of-concept studies to clinical trials, which will ultimately help to improve the lives and experiences of thousands of patients with various cancers.
We greatly value your philanthropic effort to support our following projects as we advance and persist each day to build our knowledge, improve medicine, and most importantly help those in need.
Join us in making an impact. Your donation can help change lives!
Ewing Sarcoma: Helping Young Lives
Ewing sarcoma is an aggressive and second most common malignant bone and soft tissue cancer in young children and adolescents. Treatment of this pediatric cancer has been extremely challenging for young patients and care providers because of the intense multimodal therapies and loose monitoring of treatment responses. We are currently researching the use of our technology to diagnose Ewing sarcoma patients in a noninvasive way at an early and treatable stage while also monitoring their disease progression and treatment responses. Ewing sarcoma is a relatively rare pediatric cancer that receives very limited federal funding. Thus, we are in need of private funding to bring these young patients further into the road of recovery and to enhance patient comfort. We thank you for supporting us in this project to give hope and help these young lives.
Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS) Disorder: Improving Pregnant Women’s Health
Placenta Accreta Spectrum disorder is a life-threatening condition in pregnant women in which the placenta is deeply attached to the uterus wall and does not easily detach as expected during a normal delivery. This condition has increased in occurrence over the past decades and significantly contributes to maternal morbidity as more pregnant women receive C-sections during delivery. From the least to most severe cases, PAS has caused premature delivery, damage to surrounding organs, severe bleeding, and death. Although there are current diagnostic methods for PAS, they are not always conclusive or readily available in low-resource settings, causing one-third to one-half of women in the U.S. to remain undiagnosed until delivery. Our technology has proven to have the potential to improve current diagnostic modalities for early detection of PAS, and we hope you will help us support women’s health in early detection of pregnancy complications with your philanthropy.
Fighting Against Liver Cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of primary liver cancer and often occurs in patients with cirrhosis of various causes, including Hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV), alcohol-related liver diseases, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Typically, HCC is not diagnosed until a late stage in disease development. While there exist some screening programs (i.e. biannual liver ultrasonography) for at-risk liver cirrhotic patients, current ultrasounds in standard of care still exhibit low sensitivity in detecting HCC at an early stage for curative treatments. Thus, earlier detection methods are urgently needed to ensure proper treatment and increased survival rates. Currently, our group is validating the diagnostic potential of a biomarker for higher sensitivity of detection of early-stage HCC. With your support, we will be able to continue to explore this potential of our technology to identify HCC at a curable stage.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting millions of women worldwide. Breast cancer is sometimes found after symptoms appear, but many women with breast cancer have no symptoms; thus breast cancer screening is extremely crucial. Different imaging tests can be used to look for and diagnose breast cancer, but what if we could develop a simple blood test for breast cancer screening? Our team has made significant progress in developing noninvasive assays that aid in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. Through cutting-edge studies focused on extracellular vesicles, we are developing highly sensitive diagnostic tests that can detect breast cancer at its early stages. With your support, we can advance this critical research and move closer to a world where breast cancer detection is earlier, less invasive, and more accessible. Your donation can make a significant difference in the lives of countless women and families affected by breast cancer. Join us in the fight against this aggressive disease by supporting our research.
Empower the Fight Against Breast Cancer: Support Noninvasive Early Detection Technology Development
Our efforts to combat prostate cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S., have been given a significant boost with the development of a novel assay. This innovative technology allows for the detection of metastasis and the monitoring of disease progression, providing a valuable tool in the fight against prostate cancer.
Longitudinal analysis of prostate cancer patients has demonstrated that our assay can effectively monitor the clinical behavior of the disease, even when undetectable by imaging. Complementary to existing imaging tools and blood-based tests, this assay could provide early and non-invasive detection of metastatic progression, improving care for prostate cancer patients. Your generous support can help us advance this critical research and bring this assay closer to clinical practice.
Help Us Bring the Prostate Cancer Extracellular Vesicle Assay Closer to Clinical Practice
Ovarian cancer is the fifth-leading cause of death in cancer for women in the United States, and unfortunately, only a small fraction of cases are detected at an early stage. Women with ovarian cancer typically experience abdominal or back pain, hemorrhaging, bloating, or pain in the pelvic area. Early detection is crucial because patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer at an early stage have a much higher chance of survival. Currently, screening tests for ovarian cancer are limited to transvaginal ultrasound and the CA-125 blood test, both of which are far from perfect. But there is hope on the horizon: scientists in our group are making significant progress in developing noninvasive extracellular vesicle-based assays that can aid in the early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer. With your support, we can fund this critical research to continue working towards our goal to make possible an accessible, accurate, and early detection of ovarian cancer at a treatable state. In effect, your donation can greatly impact the lives of countless affected women and their families.
Fighting for Early Detection: Help Develop Noninvasive Tools to Battle Ovarian Cancer
Thyroid cancer, which starts in the thyroid gland, is becoming more common in developed countries. Located in the front of the throat, the thyroid gland is responsible for the release of hormones throughout the body to regulate bodily functions. A person affected with thyroid cancer may have swelling in the neck or trouble breathing. Although the cause is unclear, this cancer is more likely attributed to genetic or environmental factors (i.e. radiation). Many patients opt for total thyroid removal despite only needing to remove half of it, which can lead to lifelong hormone therapy and surgical complications. The current methods for monitoring thyroid cancer only work when all thyroid tissue has been removed, making it hard to detect recurrence in patients who have had only half of the thyroid removed. Our team is developing a non-invasive test that can detect thyroid cancer recurrence, even in patients who still have some of their thyroid left. This test is based on circulating tumor cells and extracellular vesicles and has shown promising results in early testing. With further development and validation, this test could be a game-changer for detecting postoperative thyroid cancer recurrence. By supporting our research, you can help us develop this vital diagnostic tool and improve the lives of many thyroid cancer patients. We appreciate your consideration and support for our research.