Impact - The Jimmy Fund

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Build the future in the new Yawkey Center for Cancer Care at dana-farber.org/yccc. Dear Friends, In this time of astonishing scientific discovery, a revolution in cancer care is occurring as Dana- Farber works to accelerate the development of drugs that are tailor-made to counteract the distinct genetic errors that have caused tumors to occur. This approach, known as personalized medicine, determines treatment decisions based on a patient’s genetic profile and works by giving the right drug, to the right patient, at the right time. In this issue of Impact, we are thrilled to recognize those donors who have joined together to bring us ever closer to the delivery of this new standard of individualized cancer care. We are thrilled to thank the Palm Beach, Fla., community for the $1.3 million they raised to support cancer research and patient care through their annual season of fundraising, including the 19th annual Discovery Ball held Feb. 20 at The Breakers Hotel. We thank Co-chairs Sheila Palandjian, Institute Trustee Peter Palandjian, Leon Palandjian, and Vice Chair Patrick Park, along with the many committee members and attendees, for producing a truly successful event. We are also delighted to thank the 559 runners who braved a grueling 26.2 miles April 19 as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team. The anticipated $4.4 million fundraising total is set to benefit the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research, which funds critical studies in basic cancer biology. Meanwhile, the grassroots strength of the Stand Up To Cancer program has resulted in $3 million in grants to fund the work of several of Dana- Farber’s most promising researchers. This support will accelerate the speed at which lab discoveries are transformed into effective new treatments for all forms of cancer. Dana-Farber continues to translate this fundraising success into tangible progress in cancer care, cutting-edge research, and community outreach. Thank you all for your continued dedication to our lifesaving mission, which is helping us usher in a new and exciting era of cancer research and care. In closing, I am happy to welcome Boston Red Sox pitchers Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield as Co-captains of the Jimmy Fund. We are honored to have them on our team as ambassadors, helping to drive support for cancer research and care. Sincerely, As Dana-Farber continues to raise funds through the close of the Mission Possible Campaign and beyond, one of the areas on which we will continue to focus our fundraising efforts is the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care, which represents the future of cancer care for our patients. The Yawkey Center has been designed to complement Dana-Farber’s 50-50 balance between research and care, so that patients continue to receive the most optimal care to combat their cancer. The Institute’s commitment to this is unique among cancer centers and results in an extraordinary level of collaboration and partnership among our laboratory scientists, clinicians, and patients. It is at this interface that translational research occurs, fostering the rapid translation of scientific discoveries into lifesaving treatments for patients. Hundreds of donors have seen the promise of this new facility and have made generous gifts during the Campaign to support the Yawkey Center. As of April 30, we have raised $136 million toward our $150 million Campaign goal for this new building. One area of the Yawkey Center that demonstrates just how unique this building will be is the Early Drug Development Center (EDDC). Housed on the sixth floor, the EDDC will focus on conducting phase I clinical trials: small, carefully designed safety studies of experimental drugs that are being given to patients for the first time. These efforts will bring us steps closer to developing “smart” clinical trials based on the genetics of a patient’s tumor. “The Yawkey Center will be critical to our efforts as we usher in a new era of personalized medicine,” said DFCI President and CEO Edward J. Benz Jr., MD. “And it will foster the strong spirit of teamwork that sets Dana- Farber apart from other cancer institutions.” Making the vision for this building a reality requires a tremendous amount of support. Continued generosity from our loyal community of donors for the Yawkey Center and Mission Possible Campaign will provide important momentum toward our ultimate goal of conquering cancer. Susan S. Paresky Senior Vice President for Development To support the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care and help make our mission possible, please contact Patty Brent, director of Individual Giving, at 617-632-2443 or patricia_brent@dfci.harvard.edu. *Message and data rates apply.Ten dollars billed to your cell phone. Terms: hmgf.org/t Impact Spring 2010 Volume 13 • Issue 1 This issue covers gifts received and finalized through the Spring of 2010. President, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Edward J. Benz Jr., MD Chief Clinical Research Officer Philip W. Kantoff, MD Chief Medical Officer Lawrence Shulman, MD Chief Scientific Officer Barrett J. Rollins, MD, PhD Chief of Staff Stephen E. Sallan, MD Chair of Executive Committee for Research David M. Livingston, MD Chair of Medical Oncology James Griffin, MD Chair of Pediatric Oncology Stuart H. Orkin, MD Chair of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care Susan Block, MD Chair of Radiation Oncology Jay R. Harris, MD Chief of Radiology Annick D. Van den Abbeele, MD Senior Vice President for Experimental Medicine Lee M. Nadler, MD Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services, Chief Nurse Patricia Reid Ponte, RN, DNSc, FAAN Senior Vice President for Research Beverly R. Ginsburg-Cooper, MBA Senior Vice President for Development Susan S. Paresky Senior Vice President for Communications Steven R. Singer Assistant Vice President, Development Marketing and Donor Relations Jan Lawlor Impact Editor Brian Geer Assistant Editor Lauren Carr Contributors Amy Barberie, Jared Berezin, Courtney Blenheim, Alan Caplan, Brenda Chroniak, Kevin Collins, David Ferreira, Georgina Morales Hampe, Daniel Morris, Liz Nelson, Robin Orwant, Beth Rossi, Diane Schmidt, Coral Vogel, Lindsay Wilber Art Director Alan Caplan Designer Sharon Veino Production Coordinators Maria Cipicchio, Georgina Morales Hampe Photographers Lucien Capehart Photography, John Deputy, Steve Gilbert, Channing Johnson, Justin Knight, Susan Korsmeyer, Kelly Lorenz, Steve McLaughlin, Sam Ogden, Aaron Washington Impact is a quarterly newsletter of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute published by the Division of Development and the Jimmy Fund. To be removed from our mailing list, please contact: DFCI Development Office 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor Brookline, MA 02445-7226 617-632-3019 or 800-52-JIMMY or visit jimmyfund.org/opt-out Dana-Farber Cancer Institute provides expert, compassionate care to children and adults and is home to groundbreaking cancer discoveries. Since its founding in 1948, the Jimmy Fund has raised millions of dollars through thousands of community efforts to advance Dana-Farber’s lifesaving mission. 2 Impact SPRING 2010
Komen grant promotes studies into chemotherapy resistance Even as she struggled with her own failing health, Susan G. Komen inspired those around her—including her sister, Nancy Brinker—with her compassion for others and her commitment to making a difference. Nancy promised “Suzy” she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. This promise evolved into Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation dedicated to the sisters’ joint mission to empower and improve the lives of all women with this disease. Now, continuing its longstanding partnership with Dana-Farber, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has awarded a grant of $600,000 to the team of Andrea Richardson, MD, PhD, and Zhigang Wang, PhD, in DFCI’s Women’s Cancers Program. “We have every confidence that these outstanding investigators have the potential to make great inroads and bring us closer to effective treatments and, one day, a cure,” said Elizabeth Thompson, Komen’s vice president of Health Science. Richardson and Wang recently discovered a genetic alteration in breast cancers that appears to contribute to chemotherapy resistance. Extra copies of this gene create high levels of a particular protein, which may well prevent chemotherapy from reaching the cell nucleus and destroying the malignant tumors. As a result, this raises the risk of the cancer metastasizing. With their grant, Richardson and Wang will investigate how this happens, whether the protein can be used as a biomarker to predict a patient’s response to chemotherapy, and whether it can be shut down by a new targeted therapy. “We have every confidence that these outstanding investigators have the potential to make great inroads and bring us closer to effective treatments and, one day, a cure.” — Elizabeth Thompson “We are tremendously grateful to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for its support of these investigations,” said Richardson. “One immediate benefit of our research is that if we know a patient’s breast cancer is unlikely to respond to standard chemotherapy because it has excessive quantities of this protein, we can choose alternative treatment at the outset and help prevent the disease from spreading.” Richardson hopes that this protein could also provide an important new target for therapy and a key to selecting the most effective treatment for patients. n Create a personalized web page to honor a loved one, mark a special occasion or life event, and raise funds for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. Make the fight against cancer even more personal. GET CONNECTED TODAY AT together4cures.org Pan-Massachusetts Challenge: A history of success Last summer, 4,937 riders and a record-breaking 3,000 volunteers gathered across the Commonwealth to take part in the 30th Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) bike-a-thon. Held in August, the PMC featured two days of riding on routes ranging from 47 – 190 miles. Dedicated cyclists, virtual fundraisers, and volunteers, along with the support of the event’s sponsors—the Red Sox Foundation, Overstock.com, New Balance, Stop & Shop, MFS Investment Management, and New England Cable News—all contributed in a large way, raising $30.38 million for Dana-Farber’s fight against cancer. Above: On Dec. 5 at the House of Blues in Boston, PMC Founder and Executive Director Billy Starr (left), who is also an Institute trustee, and PMC Board of Directors Chairman Gordon Prichett (right) presented a check to DFCI President and CEO Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, representing the PMC’s 30-year fundraising total of $270 million. The annual bikea-thon has grown considerably since its inception in 1980, when 36 riders recruited by Starr covered 220 miles and raised more than $10,000. With its success in 2009, the PMC cemented its status as the nation’s largest and most successful athletic fundraiser and the Jimmy Fund’s single largest contributor. National Brain Tumor Society gift establishes international pediatric tissue bank at DFCI In its ongoing commitment to fund groundbreaking research, the National Brain Tumor Society, in collaboration with the Pediatric Low Grade Astrocytoma Foundation, has awarded Charles Stiles, PhD, co-chair of Cancer Biology and co-director of the Pediatric Low-Grade Astrocytoma (LGA) program at Dana-Farber, $180,000 to coordinate and oversee the creation of the first international pediatric low-grade astrocytoma tissue bank at Dana-Farber. LGAs are solid tumors found in the brain and spinal cord that require physically challenging chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and have surpassed leukemia as the leading cause of pediatric cancer deaths. “Establishing this tissue bank is a major step in advancing much needed pediatric LGA research,” said the National Brain Tumor Society’s Chief Scientific Officer David R. Hurwitz, PhD. “Dr. Stiles, his colleagues, and their teams have the highest level of expertise and the ability to develop and maintain this vital tissue bank.” This award is especially significant in that it will help acquire diverse samples of pediatric LGA tumor tissues that have previously been difficult to find for research purposes. The samples will be obtained from several institutions, including Children’s Memorial Medical Center in Chicago, Ill., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and hospitals in Cairo, New Delhi, and Istanbul. The gift will also allow Yongji Tian, MD, from Beijing’s Tiantan Hospital, to come to Boston for one year to assist in the banking of the samples. Once banked, the samples will be analyzed by Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, of DFCI’s Center for Cancer Genome Discovery and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. “It is extremely beneficial having several institutions involved in these studies,” said Stiles. “This tissue bank allows for genetic analysis and profiling of the tumor samples that will help in better understanding the disease and, ultimately, finding targeted therapies.” n Impact SPRING 2010 3
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