SFA awards 2026 Allison McKey Last Mile grant to Dr. David Shultz

Sarcoma Foundation of America named David Shultz, MD PhD, of University Health Network in Toronto, as the 2026 Allison McKey Last Mile Research Award recipient. The $150,000 grant will support a yearlong study of how hypoxia may drive metastasis in soft-tissue sarcomas, a leading cause of death in high-risk localized disease.

Why it matters: - The award is meant to push promising sarcoma research closer to funding from major national research agencies. - Dr. David Shultz’s project targets metastasis, the leading cause of death for patients with high-risk localized soft-tissue sarcoma. - The research could help identify biomarkers and treatment targets for aggressive sarcoma subtypes.

What happened: - Sarcoma Foundation of America named David Shultz, MD PhD, a Clinical Investigator and Staff Radiation Oncologist at University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as the 2026 Allison McKey Last Mile Research Award recipient. - The grant provides $150,000 for one year. - Shultz will use the funding for a project called “Mechanisms of hypoxia-induced metastasis in soft-tissue sarcomas.”

The details: - The study will examine how low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, inside tumors may contribute to lung metastases in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and myxofibrosarcoma. - Shultz’s team will analyze human tumor samples, circulating tumor cells and laboratory models. - The work aims to identify the cells and molecular pathways that may drive metastasis. - The project also seeks to uncover potential biomarkers and treatment targets. - The award honors Allison McKey, who died of metastatic osteosarcoma at 34. - McKey’s family established Allison’s Beer Mile to celebrate her life and raise funds for sarcoma research. - SFA said the award, along with support from Allison’s family, is intended to deepen understanding of sarcoma metastasis and move discoveries closer to patients. - SFA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds sarcoma research and conducts education and advocacy efforts. - The organization says sarcoma accounts for 1% of adult cancers and 15% to 20% of childhood cancers. - SFA says 236,000 patients and families are affected by sarcoma at any one time. - SFA says more than 18,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and more than 7,600 people die annually from the disease. - More information is available on SFA’s website.

Between the lines: - The grant fits a common “last mile” model in medical research: support early translational work that can strengthen future grant applications. - The focus on hypoxia suggests SFA and the research team are targeting one of the biological conditions that may help sarcoma spread. - The family-backed memorial award links patient advocacy with research funding, which can help sustain attention on a rare cancer with limited commercial incentives.

What’s next: - Shultz’s one-year project will move forward with sample analysis and laboratory modeling. - The findings could support larger follow-on studies if the team identifies credible biomarkers or therapy targets. - SFA is likely to continue using privately funded grants to support sarcoma researchers while broader funding is pursued.

The bottom line: - SFA is putting $150,000 behind a Toronto-based researcher studying why some soft-tissue sarcomas spread, with the goal of turning early findings into bigger research wins and, eventually, better patient treatments.