Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumour Research Fund

Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor (DSRCT) is a highly aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma, primarily affecting young people, especially male adolescents and young adults. With typically poor rates, we must work together to change this tragic reality.

Dr. Torsten Nielsen – a BC Cancer Clinician Scientist and sarcoma expert – along with his dedicated team of researchers, is committed to finding effective treatments for those battling DSRCT. Through collaborations with leading scientists and institutions in Ontario, the USA, Germany, and the EU, Dr. Nielsen’s team is working hard to accelerate progress and find innovative solutions for DSRCT patients.

Your support is vital in making this possible. The active research efforts include:

1. Using cutting-edge microscopic imaging and machine learning algorithms to study DSRCT cells and their immune microenvironment, and identify targetable biomarkers these cancers express which could guide new treatment approaches.
2. Building a DSRCT tissue microarray and tumor genome resource linked to treatment and outcome data, as a tool to develop clinically-applicable tests that can predict drug sensitivity and patient prognosis.
3. Developing a novel genetically-engineered lab model of DSRCT that can accelerate testing of experimental therapies and their comparison to existing chemotherapy.

Cancer research relies on three kinds of funding sources: government, industry, and private donations. Government funding, which involves lengthy bureaucratic processes, and industry funding, predicated on near-term returns on investment — predominantly goes to common cancers. Private donations have the most immediate impact and are essential to advancing research in rarer forms of cancer, like DSRCT, for which very little dedicated funding exists. 

Sarcomas disproportionately affect young people, making this fight even more challenging – both emotionally and financially. With generous support from donors like you, we can further the success of Dr. Nielsen and his collaborators’ research programs, and bring hope to families around the world affected by desmoplastic small round cell tumor, now and in the future.