The Washington University School of Medicine received a $7.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Aug. 23, 2023 to fund a new program called the MicroEnvironment and Tumor Effects of Radiotherapy Center (METEOR) spearheaded by Julie Schwarz, MD, PhD, and Clifford Robinson, MD. 

Shortly before Jeff LaBoskey arrived at Washington University for his freshman year in Sept. 2001, he was informed that his sister had been diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer known as Ewing’s Sarcoma. Less than a year later, she sadly passed away. When it occurred to LaBoskey that there was, and still is, very little research being done in the field of cancer that caused this tragedy, he decided that he wanted to make a difference and started the Sunbeam Center.

Some ran. Some walked. But almost everyone was wearing boxers, undies or brightly decorated shorts. This was the peculiar sight that greeted passersby on Saturday morning in Forest Park, where the local Gateway chapter of the Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA) hosted its second annual St. Louis Undy 5000 (5K) event to promote awareness and raise money for the cause of colorectal cancer.