&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bethesda, Md.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;mdash;The Foundation  for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) announced today that the  Side-Out Foundation, a Virginia-based nonprofit that supports advances  in therapy for cancer patients, has donated $160,000 to the I-SPY 2  breast cancer clinical trial, which will be conducted at &lt;a href=&quot;http://gmu.edu&quot;&gt;George Mason University.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The I-SPY 2 (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your  Therapeutic Response with Imaging And Molecular Analysis 2) trial,  launched in 2010 by the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium, is a groundbreaking  clinical study that is testing new individually targeted breast cancer  drugs in patients diagnosed with localized, aggressive cancers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We are proud to have Side-Out as a partner supporting the I-SPY 2  trial,&amp;rdquo; says Scott Campbell, executive director and CEO of the FNIH.  &amp;ldquo;The Foundation&amp;rsquo;s ability to collaborate with unique organizations  provides critical resources to help advance breast cancer research.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Side-Out Foundation is best known for its cutting-edge clinical  trial focused on patients with metastatic breast cancer. Supporting  I-SPY 2 at the early stage and the Side-Out protocol at the later stage  positions our foundation to cover the full range of the disease,&amp;rdquo; says  Rick Dunetz, executive director and CEO of Side-Out.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A major goal of the I-SPY 2 trial is identifying specific molecular  signatures, also known as biomarkers, in cancerous tumors that can predict how a  patient will respond to a particular therapy. The grant from Side-Out  will be used to perform a set of novel protein tests that can help  measure which drugs will be most beneficial for women with different  types of tumors.  The tests, known as Reverse Phase MicroArray assays  (RPMA), have been developed in the laboratory of Emanuel Petricoin  at Mason&#039;s &lt;a href=&quot;http://capmm.gmu.ed&quot;&gt;Center for Applied Proteomics and  Molecular Medicine.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m extremely grateful to the FNIH and Side-Out Foundation for  providing this critical funding. With this money, we will be able to  utilize the power of our RPMA technology to dissect and elucidate the  drug target architecture of a heterogeneous disease like breast cancer  in a way that has never been done before,&amp;rdquo; says Petricoin.  &amp;ldquo;Combining the RPMA pathway mapping approach with a clinical trial like  I-SPY 2 where multiple targeted therapies are assessed could be a  perfect opportunity to identify key markers that can predict and  personalize therapy for cancer patients.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For more information about the I-SPY 2 breast cancer clinical trial please visit &lt;a title=&quot;ISPY2&quot; href=&quot;http://www.fnih.org/work/key-initiatives/biomarkers-consortium/ispy2&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;fnih.org &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About George Mason University&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;George Mason  University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global  distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia  near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse  cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers  in the country. Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree  programs in engineering and information technology, organizational  psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason  professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate  change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a  leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason  University&amp;mdash;Where Innovation Is Tradition.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About The Side-Out Foundation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Side-Out  Foundation (Side-Out) was established in 2004 to make a significant and  identifiable difference in the lives of breast cancer patients and their  families by supporting clinical trials, increasing compassionate  support services and educating communities. Young women athletes at high  schools and colleges across the country participate annually in the  signature Dig Pink&amp;reg;   fundraising events.  For additional information  about the Side-Out Foundation, please &lt;a title=&quot;SideOut.org&quot; href=&quot;http://www.side-out.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;visit &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;www.side-out.org&quot; href=&quot;http://www.side-out.org/&quot;&gt;www.side-out.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Managed by  the FNIH, The Biomarkers Consortium is a public-private biomedical  research partnership that develops and qualifies biomarkers in order to  accelerate the development of new medicines and improve patient care.  For additional information, please visit &lt;a title=&quot;Biomarker Consortium website&quot; href=&quot;http://www.biomarkersconsortium.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;www.biomarkersconsortium.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Foundation for the NIH&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Established by  the United States Congress to support the mission of the NIH&amp;mdash;improving  health through scientific discovery in the search for cures&amp;mdash;the  Foundation for the NIH is a leader in identifying and addressing complex  scientific and health issues. The Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c)(3)  charitable organization that raises private-sector funds for a broad  portfolio of unique programs that complement and enhance NIH priorities  and activities. For additional information about the Foundation for the  NIH, please visit &lt;a title=&quot;The Foundation for the NIH website&quot; href=&quot;http://www.fnih.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;www.fnih.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;