Canary Fund's first symposium and workshop for early detection was held May 24-26 at Stanford. It was the first of its kind bringing together researchers, industry participants, non-profits, foundation leaders and agencies such as NCI and FDA. We presented our five phase plan for an early detection methodology for ovarian cancer and discussed the opportunities and barriers to its implementation. In conjunction with the symposium, we announced the first three (of five) American Cancer Society (ACS) Post Docs in early detection.

Canary Fund will be sponsoring the first International Biomarker Discovery Team meeting in Seattle in October, bringing together teams from Australia, Canada, China, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. These teams are leaders in international biomarker work and will be collaborating on our new standards and platform initiatives.

On the fundraising front, the Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San José has arrived! We are grateful for the incredible support that we have received from the community and look forward to a fantastic time at the first annual Cabana Party!

Have fun at the race,

Don

Realizing the Promise: An Important Step Forward

The first annual Early Detection of Cancer Symposium and Workshop held at Stanford on May 24-26, 2005 was a huge success. The symposium included sessions on the current state-of-the-art in early detection research and panel discussions led by the U.S.'s top cancer researchers from industry, academia, National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The focus of this annual symposium is to build a roadmap to guide participating researchers towards a new platform for early cancer research through cross-scientific communication and collaboration. The conference size was intentionally limited to provide for an intimate and lively exchange of ideas. The two social events at Don Listwin's Woodside home and the Thomas Fogarty winery provided for additional networking possibilities for those in attendance.

Pat Felts, CEO of ACS California and Dr. John Stevens, ACS Vice President for Extramural Grants, announced the recipients of the Canary Fund/ACS Early Detection of Cancer Postdoctoral fellowships at the winery. The recipients; Karen Abbott from University of Georgia, Jonathan Liu of Stanford and Christian Loch from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will each receive funding of $138,000 over three years.

In addition to the general symposium, Don hosted a Foundation Council meeting with leaders from Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, American Cancer Society, Faster Cures, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Lynne Cohen Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research to strategize on how to influence funding for early detection of cancer. Representatives of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation and PanCan have also joined the Foundation Council.

In his closing remarks Dr. Lee Hartwell said he initially expected the conference to simply introduce Canary Fund to influential people in the cancer community. He said it went much further than that. Lee declared the symposium a watershed event in the fund's mission to catalyze the development of a biomarker discovery platform for the early detection of cancer.

Next year's symposium will be held from May 23-25. The format will change to include two days of limited size workshops and one day of general conference to accommodate the demand. Please mark your calendars and plan on joining us!

View powerpoint presentations from the symposium here. Webcasts will be available shortly.

Click here to view photos from the event.

Early Detection in Action

Julie Gibbs went in for a mammogram at the age of 38. She had no symptoms, but her sister had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and she just wanted to be safe. Her doctors found several areas of microcalcification in her right breast. Most of the time this particular finding is benign, but Julie's radiologist found the pattern of the microcalcifications worrisome and recommended a biopsy. Two doctors later .. . it was determined that Julie had several areas of DCIS (non-invasive cancer) and a 2-mm tumor of invasive cancer. Julie decided to take the aggressive approach of a bilateral mastectomy followed by reconstruction. She also had tamoxifen therapy, which proved successful. Julie's first trip to the doctor was back in March 2001. Today she is cancer free and enjoys every day with her family and friends.

Julie's family had no prior history of breast cancer, and neither Julie nor her sister tested positive for BRCA. Julie discovered her cancer early due to her doctor's recommendation of an early mammogram because of her sister's cancer, her persistence, her doctors' extraordinary skills and luck. Canary Fund envisions a future where people are able to take a simple blood test to enable early detection of all types of cancer. With early detection, treatment options and survival rates are significantly improved.

Fundraising Efforts

Women's Luncheon

Hilary Valentine and Don Listwin hosted Canary Fund's first Women's Luncheon on June 2nd at their home. Thirty Bay Area women enjoyed the outdoor setting, weather and food followed by an informational talk by Don Listwin and Dr. Nicole Urban, Head of the Gynecologic Cancer Research Program of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Washington Cancer Consortium. Don shared the goals and aspirations of the Canary Project. Nicole then spoke of the poignant need for an accurate biomarker panel for ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer has been chosen by Canary Fund's Scientific Advisory Board as the prototype for the systems model for the biomarker discovery platform.

Nicole's research evaluated seventeen biomarkers in addition to CA125, which in combination could lead to a more accurate and earlier diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Canary Fund's Scientific Advisory Board then identified a total of twenty-two biomarkers as potential candidates for the development of a biomarker panel in order to increase specificity and sensitivity. Seven of these markers need an ELISA test developed before they can be effectively tested. Canary Fund is raising $50,000 to fund the development of the needed ELISAs by the end of the year. The call for funding was first answered by Barbara Kennedy, who submitted an inspirational challenge grant of $10,000. Barb's challenge grant in turn helped the audience dig deep and provide thoughtful gifts. Thanks to everyone who participated in the luncheon and a special thank you to Barbara and Kevin Kennedy for their generous gift.

If you are interested in attending or hosting a luncheon or would like to make a contribution towards the ovarian biomarker panel, please contact Pat McCowan at Pat@canaryfoundation.org.

Click here for photos from the event!

Canary Fund would like to thank Life Science Angels for selecting Canary Fund as its first philanthropic member. Life Science Angels is a non-profit, member-led organization that makes investments in emerging companies that bring new and proprietary technologies to the life science industry.

Borelli Investment Company, a San Jose-based real estate firm celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2005, announced that it has selected Canary Fund as its corporate charity. In addition, Ralph Borelli has generously offered to auction a spot in his historic Maxwell House stock car for an exhibition race on the track of the Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San José on Sunday July 31st! All proceeds will be donated to the Canary Fund. This is the first of eight spots in various historic stock cars that will be auctioned on eBay. Click here for more information.

Many thanks to our generous donors.

Coming Up:: Cabana Party at the Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San Jose

Mark your calendars for July 29th, Canary Fund’s first annual Grand Prix race week fundraiser. The five star event promises to be an unforgettable experience featuring the B52s, Pacific Rim Fusion clambake dinner, a display of exotic cars and a Tommy Bahama fashion show modeled by Champ Car race car drivers. Click here to purchase tickets.

At the party we will be auctioning off some exciting items including a ride on the Grand Prix track with a professional car driver in a specially designed Canary Fund two-seater car. Click here to get auction information.