University of Florida College of Medicine researchers just got a “shot in the arm” in their fight to find a cure for some childhood cancers.

Stop! Children’s Cancer Inc., a local nonprofit organization committed to the prevention, control and cure of cancer in children, announced it has awarded $150,000 to three local cancer researchers. The three research studies that will receive funding focus on leukemia, glioblastoma and neuroblastoma.

W. J. Rossi, president of Stop! Children’s Cancer’s board of directors, said, “I’m proud Stop! Children’s Cancer is continuing its mission of funding critical pediatric cancer research here in the heart of Florida. Our goal is to find cures for the cancers that attack our children and raise the quality of life for all who suffer from this devastating disease.”

Since its founding in 1981, Stop! Children’s Cancer has been responsible for donations in excess of $3.5 million to research specifically aimed at the prevention, control and cure of pediatric cancer.

Many previous grants provided essential seed money for beginning research. This gives investigators the basis to apply for substantial, nationally sponsored grants from such entities as the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health.

Stop! Children’s Cancer raises money locally through several “fun-raisers,” including The Fantasy Event at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center every spring, the STOP! Charity Golf Classic and Holiday Traditions, a concert showcasing local youth musical groups performing at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

For more information, please visit www.StopChildrensCancer.org.