January 01, 2014
Alexandria, Virginia - Rich Mosca, a mesothelioma advocate and activist, recently became the fourth person nominated by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, or Meso Foundation, to participate as a consumer reviewer in the Department of Defense’s Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP). The Meso Foundation is a nonprofit that raises funds for mesothelioma research and aims to educate, advocate, and support those affected by the disease. The PRCRP, a division of the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, has awarded a total of $8.8 million to mesothelioma research since 2008.
Mosca’s role as a consumer reviewer allowed him to vote on how $15 million in funds would be distributed on future research for blood, colorectal, kidney, and pancreatic cancer, melanoma and other skin cancers, mesothelioma, neuroblastoma, and pediatric brain tumors. The consumer reviewer is expected to represent the best interests of individuals affected by the disease when deciding how the funds should be allocated for prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment. The reviewer takes into account the full spectrum of how the disease alters lives—not only the patient’s life, but those of the family members, as well. “[The reviewers] bring with them a sense of urgency and remind all of the human element involved in medical research,” says Colonel Wanda L. Salzer, M.D., the Director of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.
The Meso Foundation is the only non-governmental organization that helps fund peer-reviewed scientific research, and it has contributed more than $8.2 million so far.
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