All proceeds from The V Foundation Wine Celebration are distributed in the form of grants to promising cancer research and cancer awareness programs in California and throughout the nation. The V Foundation Wine Celebration is committed to ensuring that a significant portion of the funds raised benefit cancer research and awareness in the Bay Area and the Napa Valley. Grants from past V Foundation Wine Celebrations have benefited research at Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa, St. Helena Hospital, UCSF, UCSD and Stanford Medical Center.
Grants funded by the Wine Celebration
2007 WINE CELEBRATION GRANTS
2007 Vintner's Grant in Honor of Robin Lail, Lail Vineyards J-Seog Lee, Ph.D., The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Characterization of the interaction between astrocytes and cancer cells in breast cancer brain metastasis."
2007 Designated Grant in Honor of Tim & Donna Egan, proprietors of The Villagio Inn & Spa and The Vintage Inn The V Foundation's Scientific Review Commitee is currently identifying a project for this grant.
2006 WINE CELEBRATION GRANTS
2006 Vintner's Grant in Honor of Chuck and Anne McMinn of Vineyard
Chuck and Anne funded V Scholar Konrad Hochedlinger, Ph.D., Massachusettes General Hospital Cancer Center.
Jim Valvano Fellowship in Pediatric Cancer
Chuck and Anne McMinn have personally committed to fund $50K through the V Wine Celebration that will be combined with funds from the V Foundation Jr. Golf Classic to establish a three-year $225K research fellowship at Duke University Medical Center called the Jim Valvano Fellowship in Pediatric Cancer.
Genomic Breast Cancer Research in Honor of Jamie Valvano Howard
A portion of the proceeds from the V Wine Celebration will fund a first-of-its kind $2 million collaborative breast cancer research program at two centers of research excellence: UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. Each center will receive $1 million in funding over four years. This special grant is in honor of Jim Valvano's daughter, Jamie Valvano Howard, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer.
2005 WINE CELEBRATION GRANTS
Osamu Tetsu, M.D., Ph.D.
UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center
San Francisco, CA
Identification of the E3 ligase for cyclin D1 ubiquitination and degradation. Funded by the V Foundation Wine Celebration in honor of Michael Holmes
2005 Vintner's Grant in Honor of business partners Leslie Rudd and Todd Zapolski. Alan P. Fields, Ph.D.
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
Jacksonville, FL
Inhibition of Oncogenic PKC1 in the Treatment of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung.
2004 WINE CELEBRATION GRANTS
St. Helena Hospital, Angwin, California
Grant to fund Multi-disciplinary Oncology Programs. $25,000 Grant matched by Charles Schwab Cup Championship and PGA TOUR
Gil Nickel Fund
Endowed Trust in honor of Gil Nickel, founder of Far Niente. Proceeds from this ongoing endowed fund will benefit melanoma research.
2004 Vintner's Grant in honor of Garen & Shari Staglin, Staglin Family Vineyards in memory of Pasquale Stagliano Iannia Aifantis, Ph.D.
University of Chicago Cancer Research Center
Chicago, IL
Pre-T Cell Receptor signaling as a key regulator of acute T cell leukemia.
2003 WINE CELEBRATION GRANTS
Lawrence Fong, M.D.
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Induction and Characterization of Tumor-Specific T cells in vivo.
W. Martin Kast, Ph.D.
Jeffrey S. Weber, M.D., Ph.D.
Laila Muderspach, M.D.
I.Caroline Le Poole, Ph.D.
Diane M. Da Silva, Ph.D.
Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
A New Approach for Dendritic Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapy for Cervical Cancer.
The Joan Rombaurer Endowed Fellowship in Pancreatic Research Andrew Ko, M.D.
UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center
San Francisco, CA
2003 Vintner Grant in Honor of Marc Beringer Cheryl London, DVM, Ph.D.
UC Davis Cancer Center
Sacramento, CA
2002 WINE CELEBRATION GRANTS
Man-Wah Tan, Ph.D.
Departments of Genetics, and of Microbiology and Immunology
Stanford University Medical School
V Scholar 2002
Gabriele Bergers, Ph.D.
Department of Neurosurgery
University of California San Francisco
V Scholar 2002
2002 Vintner's Grant in honor of Mitch Cosentino, Cosentino Winery in memory of Arlene Cosentino Lynne Bemis, Ph.D.
University of Colorado Heath Science Center
2001 WINE CELEBRATION GRANTS
2001 Vintner's Grant in honor of Koerner and Joan Rombauer of Rombauer Vineyards Emily K. Bergsland, M.D.
Pancreatic Cancer Research
University of California, San Francisco
Martin McMahon, Ph.D.
Pancreatic Cancer Research
University of California, San Francisco
Matching Grant funded by Joan and Koerner Rombauer
2001 Vintner's Grant in honor of Dick Grace, Grace Family Vineyard Kathy Matthay, M.D.
Neuroblastoma Research
University of California, San Francisco
Calvin Kuo, M.D., Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
Bay Area Research Grant
Jeffrey Axelrod, M.D., Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
Bay Area Research Grant
2000 WINE CELEBRATION GRANTS
Carolyn C. Ross, M.D., M.H.P.
First Vintner's Grant Recipient In honor of Rennick Andrew Harris
The goal of the study is to determine whether bioresonance therapy given to cancer patients 72 hours after chemotherapy will reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. The study will also evaluate the acceptability of bioresonance therapy to patients and physicians in a University Cancer Center.
Laura Attardi, Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
The study into how p53, a protein mutated in over half of all human cancers, acts as a tumor suppressor. The work on the isolation of a new gene evolved in p53-dependent apoptosis of strong potential relevance both in cancer etiology and in treatment sensitivity.
Quynh-Thu Le, M.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
This project will study tumor hypoxia, which has been shown to cause tumor cells to be resistant to radiation treatment. Modern molecular techniques will be used to develop a blood test to detect tumor hypoxia in patients with lung cancer with the goal of developing new ways to treat it and to improve survival in patients with this condition.
2000 V SCHOLARS
Lisa M. Coussens, Ph.D.
UCSF Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute
University of California, San Francisco
This study investigates heterotypic regulation of oncogene-induced neoplasia by extracellular proteinases. In particular, this study will examine the molecular mechanism(s) whereby gelatinase B/MMP-9 regulates malignant capability and end-stage malignant phenotypes of squamous carcinomas.
Dean W. Felsher, M.D., Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
Cancer is caused by the activation of proto-oncogenes and the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. The goal of this research is to understand how these mutants genes cause tumorigenesis and to use this knowledge to predict when their repair and/or inactivation is sufficient to induce tumor regression.
1999 WINE CELEBRATION GRANTS
Wendel Wenneker, M.D.
Queen of the Valley Hospital
Napa Valley, CA
This grant funded the participation in the Bay Area Sentinel Node Study for Detection of Axillary Metastases in Breast Cancer. The study will evaluate two methods of sentinel node identification for predicting axillary lymph node metastases from the primary invasive breast cancer. The purpose of the study is to confirm or refute the accuracy of sentinel node biopsy as a predictor of axillary lymph node metastases, define the role of preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and refine patient selection criteria.
Peter Lee, M.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
The project aims to isolate and study tumor-specific immune cells directly from cancer patients in much greater detail by applying novel and powerful tools such as peptide/MHC tetramers, 11-color FACS analysis and DNA microarrays. The hope is to gain important new insights into the biology of the immune response to cancer, and identify novel approaches to treatment by harnessing the immune response.
Gillian Sanders, Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
This research project proposes to develop a cost-effective model that looks at the use of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing to screen for cervical cancer. This study of the potential roles and the most cost-effective use of HPV testing could help determine how HPV testing should be implemented and integrated with other testing methodologies.
1999 V SCHOLARS
James M. Ford, M.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, CA
This research aims to identify and characterize the genetic determinants of GI cancer responsiveness to therapeutic agents, including analyzing the p53 status, DNA repair capabilities, and in vitro drug sensitivity of tumor cells and derived cell lines.
