The founder of Scottrade grew that company from a single office to a $4 billion business before selling it to TD Ameritrade – two years after he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
His next step was clear. He and wife, Paula, would establish the Paula and Rodger Riney Foundation, with proceeds from the company’s sale, to fund scientific research leading to a better understanding and possible cure of multiple myeloma and related cancers.
The Foundation has supported many new initiatives as well as ongoing research initiatives and programs at leading medical and research institutions focused on the development, testing and approval of new, less toxic, more effective therapies for multiple myeloma and related diseases.
An additional goal at the Foundation is to promote collaboration among colleagues at major research centers, as well as to accelerate new strategies and innovative approaches to improve patient outcomes.
We also are supporting expediting research and developing new treatments for two major neurodegenerative diseases – Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
We carefully review and provide grants and gifts directly to worthy programs and projects proposed by multiple myeloma researchers and institutions focusing on accelerating those programs and projects with the goal of finding a cure for multiple myeloma.
In addition, we work with many societies and advocate organizations with the same goal in mind such as the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and International Myeloma Society.
To assist in the critical effort to help develop our next generation of researchers, we have established, along with the International Myeloma Society, a Career Development Award for young investigators and the Translational Research Grant for scientists focused on translational research in the field of plasma cell dyscrasias.
The myeloma research programs supported by the Paula and Rodger Riney Foundation include; novel CAR T projects, therapeutic targeting of the microenvironment, novel bispecific T cell engagers, targeting genomic and epigenomics abnormalities, overcoming proteasome inhibitor resistance, microbiome influence in myeloma, novel combination studies, DHODH inhibitors, myeloma cell targeted immune-PET techniques, high through-put drug screening for unique combinations, discovery of new myeloma targets, unique protein degraders, NEK2 degraders, NK CAR projects.
Hematology, Am Soc Hematol Educ Program (2021) 2021 (1): 662–672
Blood (2021) 138 (20): 1980–1985
Clin Cancer Res (January 6, 2022)