2010 Newsletter - The James Fund for Neuroblastoma Research

Families Together ...The Tatham Clan—2nd Annual Run for ReeseReese’s Road Runners turned the GoodtimeMarathon into a fundraiser, raising $15,000from friends and family. Special thanks toJulia’s birthday party. www.tathamclan.comA Cure for Nate for AlwaysRun for NateThe Hudson/Palmer family kicked off theirsupport of The James Fund with an impressive$20,000 raised by supporters in BritishColumbia and across Ontario! http://www.carepages.com/carepages/NateHudsonIronman for a CureChris Bumstead competed in Louisville,Kentucky in honour of Breanna, to raisefunds for The James Fund.Sam’s DayThis year’s fun, family event included bowling,games, live animals, balloon creationsand face painting , as well as a Star Warssurprise. Sam is a healthy seven-year old whois happy to raise funds and awareness forhis friends still battling this terrible disease.Sam’s Day events have raised $200,000 + forThe James Fund! www.samsday.orgBen, Dave and Carter shave their heads atSam’s Day 2010Liam’s HopeLiam’s family is selling tote bags, featuringLiam’s very own green train and flower designs.They’re a hot item! www.liamshope.cawww.JamesFund.caNeuroblastoma is a childhood cancer of thecentral nervous system, a disease which has taken far too many of ourchildren. It is an “orphan disease”, meaning no pharmaceutical has adopted it to find acure. It is left to neuroblastoma families themselves, to fund research to save our own children. Weare grateful to the supporters who have come on board to help.Walk/Run for The JamesSince 2006, this event has raised over$200,000 in support of cutting-edge JamesFund research in eight countries. We aregrateful to the Peterborough community,which helped to fuel the momentum that sawJames Fund researchers take the top neuroblastomaaward in the world.Congratulations to the Walst family whoseteam James Rocks! raised a whopping $22,700in pledges! Many thanks to their friends,community, family, and Three Days Gracefans.Proceeds from this year’s event will fund aproject where scientists at the Children’sHospital of Eastern Ontario will be attemptingto develop drugs to induce “apoptosis”in neuroblastoma stem cells, a phenomenonwhere cancer cells commit suicide!www.jamesfund.com/walkrunKrystianna’s Canter for aCureLittle girls always want to have a lemonadestand so, soon after she was diagnosed,Krystianna’s family started their own stand.She even inspired another local vendor todonate sales from his booth to her cause.She also raised lots of money in hospital withher covered pens and key chains.Nova Scotia Washer TossNo, not washing machines! Maura’s family andfriends in Truro, Nova Scotia have downhomefun at this annual event, throwinghardware washers for prizes.Invado Beach VolleyballFun and well-organized tournaments, withproceeds to The James Fund.www.invado.caKyle’s FightKyle’s family has held concerts, sold calendars,and hosted their popular Family DaySkate every February.Welcome PeterboroughCycling ClubPCC is pleased to announce its formal associationwith The James Fund. The club, longinterested in giving back to its community,has made a multi-year commitment to ourcause. www.peterboroughcc.comIn memory of Peter ZezelWe were saddened at the sudden death ofNHL hockey player Peter Zezel. It was a testamentto his love for his niece Jillian, who hadneuroblastoma, that Peter’s family requesteddonations to The James Fund in lieu of flowers,raising over $22,000 in his memory.Babble On The CommunicationsCarter FamilyOur For years, eternal Matthew, gratitude Jack to Susan and Nicole and Mike have fortheir donated guidance, their birthday expertise money and dedication. and allowancewww.babbleoncom.comto The James Fund. Thanks!St. Patrick’s Day at theMiller TavernIt was a “green” day with $7,500 raised.www.themiller.caLakefield College SchoolWe are most grateful to loyal friends at LCS,students and staff, who show no end to theirpassion for our cause. www.lcs.on.caPort Credit Rocks!Organizers in the Greater Toronto Area arecreating a 3-day rock concert, which willencompass 15 venues and an impressive lineupof bands. Watch www.jamesfund.ca forupdates...

Solving Kids CancerMany thanks to Solving Kids Cancer, aparent-led non-profit charity in New YorkCity which recognizes James Fund researchas among the best science in the world. SKChas granted $772,000 of matching funds toThe James Fund for ground-breaking researchand a clinical trial, currently under way acrossNorth America. www.solvingkidscancer.orgThe Beverly Charity ClassicGolf TournamentThis fine tournament raised $30,000.“My eldest daughter was diagnosed withneuroblastoma in 1985. Not much wasknown about this cancer other than it wasalmost always fatal. But she graduated fromuniversity and is happy, healthy and workingin her chosen field. We realized that it wastime to try and repay the many miracles thathad been afforded us. If it is true that a journeyof a thousand miles starts with one step,then it has been my personal privilege to havetravelled with the families of The James Fundat least part of the way.I recommend you visit www.JamesFund.cato gain a true insight into the nature of thisorganization that has attracted interest andacclaim from around the world. Then pleasejoin me on this journey.”John Killeen—Beverly Golf TournamentCommittee www.beverlygolfclub.orgPomp and Be BopToronto artists unveiled a stunning glassmosaic, created for The James Fund, gifted toThe Hospital for Sick Children, and locatedat the entrance to the state-of-the-art SearsCancer Clinic.Pomp and Be Bop Revisited, Donated by friends ofThe James Fund, Designed by Gundar Robez,Adapted by David Wilde, Executed by Glowing PanesStudio, Glass donated by Hollander Glass. For A CureAn Update from The James Birrell Laboratoriesfor more details, visit www.JamesFund.caFrom Dr. David Kaplan:“The James Fund helps fund the neuroblastoma drug discovery project at SickKids Hospitalin Toronto. Neuroblastoma is one of the “big three” kids cancers which also includes leukemiaand brain tumors, and is one of the most fatal. No drugs presently exist to successfully treathigh-risk neuroblastoma. This unique and innovative project uses neuroblastoma stem cells isolatedfrom patients at SickKids, with the objective of finding new treatments. Cancer stem cellsare the cells within tumors that are resistant to present treatments, and that are responsible forcancers reoccurring after treatment. They can be thought of as “queen bees.” Only killing thequeen and not the workers will end the hive. In cancer, presently available drugs are thought totarget the workers and not the queen, accounting for poor cure rates.The Kaplan Lab identified the queen bee or cancer stem cells in neuroblastoma several yearsago, and with funding from The James Fund and other family-based neuroblastoma researchfunds, they and their colleagues at SickKids including Drs. Sylvain Baruchel and MeredithIrwin have been discovering drugs used for other conditions in children that can kill the cancerstem cells. One combination identified, rapamycin and vinblastine, is now in a Phase I clinicaltrial for children’s solid tumors at SickKids, Sainte-Justine (Montreal), and three sites in theUSA. Drs. Baruchel and Irwin are writing several clinical trials protocols on other novel drugsfrom the drug discovery project that they hope to bring to clinical trials in the next year.The James Fund has been crucial for our efforts, since drug discovery is very expensive, as isretaining our skilled and dedicated scientists. James Fund contributions have funded eightstudents and fellows in four SickKids labs, and enabled us to obtain $1.3 million in partneredfunds from Solving Kid’s Cancer, the Terry Fox Research Institute, and the Ontario Instituteof Cancer Research in the past two years. We are grateful for the support of The James Fund,which has truly made a huge impact on our ability to perform novel and groundbreakingresearch.”Dr. David Kaplan: Senior Scientist, Cell Biology Program, and Head, James Fund Laboratoriesfor Neuroblastoma Research, The Hospital for Sick Children; Canada Research Chair in Cancerand Neuroscience; Professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, University ofToronto.From Dr. Loen Hansford:“My career started with a yearlong project on neuroblastoma, a disease I had never heard of. Iwas interested in approaching this disease in unconventional ways and a $30K seed grant fromThe James Fund facilitated my work. That very small amount of James Fund money started tochange the face of neuroblastoma research around the world, converting into $400K in researchfunds for me and millions of dollars for the Kaplan Lab. The rewards of that James Fundproject extended to the collaborative efforts of our phenomenal team of physicians, pathologists,associates, and researchers; has allowed us to produce world-leading outcomes in shorttime periods; and is the envy of groups around the world. Work is now being done on our cellswith scientists trained in the James Birrell Laboratory all over North America, in Japan, Italy,Belgium, England, Israel, Sweden, Hong Kong, and my home land Australia!James Fund research dollars are helping us to understand the biology of these cells, responsiblefor neuroblastoma progression and relapse; to determine how they evade therapies and hidein places like the bone marrow; and we believe will arm us with the knowledge to treat neuroblastomawith the right therapies at diagnosis so that we never see a relapse. James Fund seeddollars have also translated to a massive drug discovery project, and a new drug in clinical trialswithin about 2 years! Now, more than 3 million new drug compounds have been screened inthe laboratory to find even better drugs to move into clinical trial even faster, and may even turninto a personalised approach to medicine in the future. The stem cell and neuroblastoma researchworlds are standing at attention because we are on the periphery of both of these worlds,by thinking differently.I thank James Fund supporters for your tireless fundraising efforts which make our work possible,and neuroblastoma families for their inspiration which fuels my work. I’m soon expectinga son and his middle name will be James - after my husband, his father, and a brave little boycalled James!”Dr. Loen Hansford, James Fund Researcher