Team TGen Supports Komen Phoenix Race for the Cure®
61 employees and family members of The Translational Genomics
Research Institute (TGen) participated in the 2003 Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer Foundation National Race for the Cure®. Team TGen
included members from all areas of research and administration,
including COO Richard Love and Dr. Heather Cunliffe, who has been
recruited to head TGen's breast cancer research efforts.
"We're proud to support this event," says TGen Chief Operating Officer and walk participant Richard Love. "It is our hope that the research TGen conducts will make a difference in the lives of breast cancer patients and their families."
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, accounting for nearly one of every three cancers diagnosed in the United States today. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2002 alone, nearly 203,500 women are expected to be diagnosed with this disease. Better diagnostics and prevention strategies can be developed, but only when the complex nature of breast cancer is understood. It has become increasingly clear that clarifying the exact genetic and molecular events that take place in breast cancer progression will help researchers and clinicians develop better detection methods and treatment strategies.
TGen is dedicated to turning genomic discoveries in breast cancer research into clinical advances, offering real solutions to those afflicted by, or who are at risk for breast cancer.
The specific aims of our research are both clinical and basic. Our basic research goals will be to understand the genetic and molecular basis of the disease to further our knowledge of the multi-step process of tumor formation, progression and development. Our clinical research goal is to correlate the tumor genetic and molecular "signatures" with their clinical outcomes in order to develop comprehensive profiles predictive for disease progression, response to treatment, probability of tumor recurrence, and patient prognosis.
Ultimately, the results of this basic + clinical approach will translate into new tools and information needed by clinicians to diagnose and assess this disease &emdash;with a focus on patient-tailored therapy&emdash; identifying new methods of detection, prevention and treatment.
The TGen team was coordinated by co-captains Mary Dineen and Debbie Schoolcraft.
"We were thrilled with the turnout for our first TGen event. Team TGen looked great and we were delighted to be part of such a wonderful cause," said Dineen and Schoolcraft. "Initially, we were a small group that wanted to support the Komen Race, but once word spread we quickly multiplied in number and made our presence known."
Proceeds from the Komen Race for the Cure Series help fund important breast cancer research as well as breast health initiatives on a local level.
