Scientific Director
Clear Cell Sarcoma Foundation
I am the Scientific Director of the Clear Cell Sarcoma Foundation (formerly Sara’s Cure), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing research and patient advocacy for clear cell sarcoma (CCS). CCS is an ultra-rare and deadly sarcoma that primarily affects teens and young adults. At the Foundation, we are building a collaborative network of scientists and clinicians to accelerate therapeutic development for this understudied cancer. Our initiatives include developing the first CCS-specific patient registry in partnership with xCures, leading the Foundation’s participation in the NIH/FDA/NCATS/FNIH ULTRA Project to identify and advance new therapeutic targets for ultra-rare tumors, and establishing preclinical and translational models to support drug discovery. We are also collaborating with the FDA and industry partners on the first clinical trial designed specifically for CCS, which has successfully completed Phase I safety testing and is now advancing toward Phase II. In addition, we are supporting the development of a functional genomics platform for rare soft tissue sarcomas with Dr. Jesse Boehm at MIT and Harvard Medical School.
Before joining the Foundation, I served as a principal investigator and academic researcher focused on vascular biology at the Medical University of South Carolina, where I led NIH-funded studies for over 15 years. My current work bridges that research experience with patient-centered innovation to ensure that clear cell sarcoma patients and their families have access to better data, improved treatment options, and a stronger voice in rare cancer research.
