The South Carolina Legislature sets aside funding annually from the South Carolina Education Lottery to support endowed chairs at the three research universities. The endowed chairs and the program they are focused on are called Centers of Economic Excellence, or COEEs. Their purpose is to advance science and enhance our economy. COEEs are competitive to receive and are reviewed by a national scientific panel. The COEEs selected are able to secure up to $5 million of matching funds for every philanthropic dollar they raise. There is a sixteen-month deadline to secure the matching dollars or the matching funds will be withdrawn. All gifts and written pledges will allow us to secure the match even if the pledge payments fall outside of the deadline. COEE in Tobacco Related Malignancy Our most pressing fundraising deadline is June 2009 for the COEE in Tobacco Related Malignancy. The COEE in Tobacco Related Malignancy will collaborate with multiple medical centers and health agencies throughout the state. The two-fold focus of the COEE is to first use novel technologies, including genomics, proteomics and lipidomics to discover novel biomarkers for specific cancers, and second to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of these markers by molecular epidemiologic techniques across the diverse populations of South Carolina. The key to the success of the COEE will be the recruitment of two individuals to Endowed Chairs – MD/PhD Clinical Oncologist and PhD/Translational Research (Molecular Epidemiologist). This COEE will provide an important component in our fight against the number one cancer killer – lung cancer. COEE in Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Our second most pressing deadline is December 1st, 2009 for the COEE in Stem Cell Biology and Therapy. This COEE will develop bioengineering aspects of stem cell utilization, allowing for more functional and adaptable clinical applications, as well as elucidating ways to use the body’s stem cells in bone marrow and adult organs that cause cancer as a treatment target. This will make a huge impact on the blood cancers that we see every day at Hollings Cancer Center. | 
