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The SARC Catalyst Program provides awardees with financial support for small-scale sarcoma research projects as well as monthly expert coaching sessions.
Keila E. Torres, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS
Keila E. Torres, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS is founder and leader of the SARC Catalyst Program, which is co-led by SARC’s Chief Scientific Officer Jonathan Fletcher, MD.
Dr. Torres is a surgical oncologist in the sarcoma division at MD Anderson Cancer Center. In addition to her clinical and lab research commitments in sarcoma, Dr. Torres is a successful entrepreneur. Her experience with business incubators – where her own developmental concepts were strengthened by expert coaching in monthly group sessions – inspired her to create the Catalyst Program.
In this same manner, SARC Catalyst awardees will benefit from pilot project funding and a coaching committee. The program will support small-scale projects positioned for rapid progress, although other needs – such as coaching for program grant applications – will also be addressed.
The inaugural 2022 Catalyst Award recipient is Joanna Przybyl, PhD, whose project, “Multi-omic circulating tumor DNA testing in leiomyosarcoma”, seeks advances in ctDNA methods to more effectively monitor leiomyosarcoma.
This Catalyst project is generously supported by funding from the Leiomyosarcoma Support & Direct Research Foundation and by the McGill University Health Centre Foundation.