Lung Cancer Research Foundation already planning follow-up for
2011
PHOENIX, Ariz. - May 28, 2010 - Following its first major Arizona
fundraising event, the national Lung Cancer Research Foundation
will donate $25,000 for lung cancer studies at the Translational
Genomics Research Institute (TGen).
The first Strides for Life-Arizona event, held April 11 near Tempe
Town Lake, drew 175 participants to a family-friendly 3-mile fun
run-walk and children's dash.
It was so successful, the New York-based Lung Cancer Research
Foundation already has scheduled its 2nd annual Arizona fundraiser
at the same location, Tempe Arts Park, at 7:30 a.m. April 10,
2011.
"We were thrilled with the turnout and success of our inaugural
Strides for Life - Arizona," said Laurie C. Carson, the Founder and
President of the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. "LCRF would never
have been able to accomplish our initial goal and establish a
footprint for this event without the encouragement and support that
TGen provided. It is an honor and a privilege to be affiliated and
to support their groundbreaking biomedical research in lung
cancer."
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide,
annually killing 1.3 million people. Nearly 220,000 new cases of
lung cancer will be diagnosed this year in the U.S., where more
than 159,000 men and women will die from the disease, according to
estimates by the National Cancer Institute.
There remains no practical way to screen for lung cancer. As a
result, nearly 75 percent of patients are diagnosed with
advanced-stage disease, leaving few options for treatment. Among
American women, lung cancer is responsible for more cancer deaths
than breast cancer and all gynecological cancers, combined. And
while the link between smoking and lung cancer is well established,
nearly 50 percent of new lung cancer cases are former smokers and
about 15 percent have never smoked.
TGen's Lung Cancer Research Lab is at the forefront of efforts to
improve lung cancer detection, develop new therapies and enhance
our understanding of tumor biology.
TGen Foundation President Michael Bassoff said the $25,000
donation by the Lung Cancer Research Foundation would be applied
immediately to support TGen's lung cancer research.
"We are thrilled at the initial success of Strides for
Life-Arizona, and we are extremely grateful and honored to have
merited the support of such a remarkably dedicated
partner-in-science as Laurie Carson and the Lung Cancer Research
Foundation," Bassoff said. "The gift from LCRF will support
scientific research in an area that affects more cancer patients
than any other type of cancer."
LCRF, a leader in helping advance the pace of lung cancer
research, previously awarded $75,000 to TGen to name the Lung
Cancer Research Foundation Bench, which enables TGen scientists to
conduct groundbreaking scientific investigations.
*
About The Lung Cancer Research Foundation
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization that supports national research and activities to
develop better treatments, screening and prevention of lung cancer.
It was founded in 2005 by Laurie Carson, who lost two family
members to lung cancer: a brother who never smoked, and an uncle
who had quit smoking 20 years before his death. The Foundation's
signature fundraising event, Strides for Life, has raised more than
$1.7 million since 2006 to fund scientific research grants at
leading cancer centers across the country. For more information,
visit www.lungfund.org.
*
About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life-changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. TGen is affiliated
with the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
For more information, visit www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
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