Since 1993, the V Foundation—named in honor of former North Carolina State men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano—has provided $310 million in funding to support cancer research through almost 1,200 total grants.

ESPN started the Jimmy V Classic  in 1995 to help those efforts, with schools participating in the games being featured by the V Foundation for their work to fight cancer. The money each school raises is split 50/50 between V Foundation-funded grants and local research initiatives supported by each school, with 100 percent of donations going directly to game-changing cancer research.

When Kellie Harper leads her Tennessee squad against Iowa State on December 4 (1 p.m., ESPN2), the research being profiled will have a distinctly Tickle College of Engineering feel, as Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor Libby Barker and Department of Nuclear Engineering Assistant Professor Ivis Chaple will each have their individual work highlighted by the V Foundation.

For Barker, the focus is on working on better drug delivery and outcomes for pediatric cancer patients. Her team is developing an injectable gel designed to deliver treatments directly to solid tumors at a local level, which increases drug concentration at the target site, decreases drug effects on non-target tissues, and improves drug penetration in the tumor tissue, with the goal of improving long-term patient outcomes.

Chaple’s work is developing new radiopharmaceuticals that will lead to better imaging and more targeted treatment for cancer patients. Those materials pinpoint proteins found in greater numbers on cancerous cells than on healthy ones. Attacking cancerous cells with these radiopharmaceuticals makes them easier to see on imaging techniques, while using therapeutic radiation in their design means that they can treat the cancerous cells themselves.

Valvano, less than two months before his death, was honored with the 1993 ESPY—the sports version of an Oscar or Emmy—for the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award. During his acceptance speech, he issued the line that has become a rallying cry in the fight against cancer:

“We need your help. It may not save my life. It may save my children’s life. It may save someone you love.”

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About the V Foundation for Cancer Research

The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State University basketball coach and ESPN commentator. The V Foundation has funded over $310 million in game-changing cancer research grants nationwide through a competitive process strictly supervised by a world-class Scientific Advisory Committee. Because the V Foundation has an endowment to cover administrative expenses, 100 percent of direct donations is awarded to cancer research and programs. The V team is committed to accelerating Victory Over Cancer®. To learn more, visit v.org.