In November 2022, Hadley and Hunter Arcati presented a check in the amount of $50,000 on behalf of the Friends of T.J. Foundation to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). The donation will go to fund Professor Christopher Vakoc for continued rhabdomyosarcoma research.
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare cancer that forms in soft tissue and most often affects children. Vakoc’s lab studies cancers like rhabdomyosarcoma to pinpoint genetic weaknesses and find therapeutic targets. With pediatric cancer consistently underfunded, researchers rely on the generous support from private donors and foundations to bring novel therapeutics and cutting edge research to the fight against Rhabdomyosarcoma and other pediatric cancers. Using a CRISPR-based screen that can report whenever a gene loss allows rhabdo cells to myodifferentiate, CSHL has identified strategies for changing rhabdo cells in normal muscle. In addition, they have discovered several targets in Ewing’s Sarcoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma, and Synovial Sarcoma.
The Friends of T.J. Foundation is a Long Island organization founded by T.J. Arcati and his friends in 2009. Since 2014, the foundation has donated over $470,000 to CSHL as part of their mission to increase sarcoma research, improve treatment and find a cure.