Blog
Archive for 2012
Canary Chicks for the Canary Challenge
July 9, 2012
In this video, Aruna Gambhir, Donna Novitsky, and Lori Laub introduce the Canary Chicks, a group of riders who get together to have fun during the Canary Challenge. Here, they give pointers for riders, chat about the event, and speak candidly about the difficulty level of the Canary Challenge course. Learn more and register for the event: www.CanaryChallenge.com
Power Through: Century Training Tips
June 27, 2012
Al Painter is the founder of INTEGRATE Performance Fitness, and a supporter of the Canary Foundation. In this interview, he provides riders tools and tips for succeeding in the Canary Challenge. Learn more and register at www.CanaryChallenge.com.
Tell us about yourself and your training background.
I’ve been training folks for about 11 years, and I’ve been with INTEGRATE since January 2008. We do cycling-specific strength training, and we work with a ton of endurance athletes. We’re also very proud to have won the honor of “Top 5 Fitness Facility in the Bay Area” (#1 in the Peninsula) from SFGate.com.
We love working with anybody who already rides a bike or wants to learn how. It’s a blast to teach the basic skills to ride a bike correctly, and see their fitness levels take off and go through the roof.
Why do you support the Canary Foundation?
I’ve had a couple of relatives close to me pass from cancer, and it’s something very close to me. I don’t know anyone that I’ve met who hasn’t been touched by it one way or another.
Another reason I like the Canary Foundation is because it’s local. Companies like Livestrong are already very well supported in terms of participation, so they don’t need as much help. I wanted to support something more local and grassroots where my support and participation could really have a visible impact.
Tell me a little about the Canary Challenge. What can riders expect? More »
Slow & Fresh: World Renowned Bay Area Chefs Cook Together for Canary
June 22, 2012
On June 3, four outstanding Bay Area chefs prepared fresh fare for supporters gathered for dinner and an update on scientific research at a private event for Canary Foundation. Led by Traci Des Jardins (Jardinière), Loretta Keller (Coco500), Jessica Boncutter (Bar Jules) and Laurence Jossel (Nopa), performed their culinary artistry for diners. Wine was donated from a private collection.
Click here to see the full event photo gallery
Their dishes exemplified a fresh, local and joyful approach to food- partaking in the meal was as much a lesson in life as it was a delicious dinner. Traci prepared ranch lamb with hummus and salsa verde; Loretta – chilled wild salmon with Mendocino uni mixed with seaweed and cucumber; Jessica – lightly blanched summer vegetables in a soup with pesto; and Laurence – cured and smoked Tasso ham served with soft cooked egg and purslane. Dessert was Balsamic Strawberry and Crème Fraîche ice cream from Sam Moganam’s Bi-Rite Creamery. More »
Peter Nelson on Canary’s Prostate Cancer Research Program
June 18, 2012
Peter Nelson, Prostate Cancer Team Leader at the Canary Center and researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, provides an overview of Canary’s Prostate Cancer Research Program. He talks about goals for the research program, explaining how researchers work on biomarkers that will determine if cancers are lethal vs. non lethal (aggressive vs. indolent). He also explains the Canary Tissue Microarray (TMA) Project, as well as giving an overview of what success looks like for the Canary Prostate Cancer Research Program.
Canary Innovation: Measurable Progress, Real Results
June 4, 2012
Here at Canary Foundation, one of our highest priorities is building a culture of innovation, which we leverage to produce results, save time and lower costs. Both our scientific programs and administrative initiatives reflect these disciplines. We’re proud to report that this approach is helping Canary demonstrate real results in the work we do:
- Canary Foundation developed the first test for a new lung cancer biomarker identified by the team. While tests
exist for other biomarkers, there were none for this one, so the team created a test that is now available for any research institution to utilize. - Our prostate cancer clinical trial called PASS (Prostate Active Surveillance Study) is the only multisite clinical trial for men on active surveillance. This way of organizing a trial is now being recognized as the most viable way of conducting trials to monitor men with localized, low-risk prostate cancer.
- Canary Foundation’s Tissue Microarray (TMA) project has also led the way in scientific research. Digitized tissue images and a standardized way to conduct digital analyses were the innovations that provide researchers with an online way of sharing and analyzing data that is not the norm in scientific research.
- The Canary Center at Stanford for cancer early detection is the first in the world studying the two-test process of identifying cancer through a blood test and pinpointing the location of the tumor through molecular imaging. More »
The Founder’s Fund
May 15, 2012
Silicon Valley is famous for its ability to take an existing idea or product and revolutionize it, making it better, cheaper, and more accessible to the public.
Canary Foundation’s Founder, Don Listwin, took passionately to bringing this approach to the flailing and antiquated health care business, which invested little in cancer early detection. Most of our community members are familiar with Don’s emotional story of losing his mother to misdiagnosed cancer. His story is a testament to the scars cancer leaves on all of our lives, as well as the power of people coming together to fund something that will have a lasting impact—impact on the future of cancer early detection, and on the lives of our loved ones.
A seasoned technology executive, Don established a plan to catalyze cancer early detection. He founded Canary Foundation to bridge the gap between academic research and an industry that no longer actively invests in early detection research. Our goal is to leverage the research we do in developing biomarkers and imaging technology to create widely accessible tests that screen for cancer, even during routine checkups.
By approaching health care technology with the same results-driven mindset as consumer technology, Canary Foundation is changing the game for early detection research and innovation. Investing early in innovation and attracting other funding exemplifies the high impact model Don built at Canary. Staying true to the model, we pool expertise, focus on results, and stay conscious about resource allocation.
Canary Foundation’s Founder’s Fund takes this last idea to heart. The Founder’s Fund is a special reserve that allows for Canary Foundation to fund special projects, communications and events and unmet needs that keep Canary on task to make cancer early detection a reality. We invite you to learn more about the Founder’s Fund and join others in supporting the Canary mission.
Highlights from the 8th Annual Early Detection Symposium 2012
May 7, 2012
Canary Foundation held the Eighth Annual Early Detection Symposium at Stanford University on May 1, 2012. Nearly 200 participants came together to share their successes, challenges, and visions for the field of early detection of cancer. The conference session included updates from four Canary cancer teams (Lung, Ovary, Pancreas and Prostate) as well as presentations on innovative early detection research from across the country. Dr. Sam Gambhir, Director of the Canary Center at Stanford, described the goals of early detection in three key phrases:
- Identify patients that have cancer
- Isolate the location of the tumor
- Intervene effectively
Attendees heard from researchers working in all three of these areas.
Tackling the Challenge of Overdiagnosis
One of the challenges in identifying cancer patients is avoiding overtreatment. Dr. Ruth Etzioni of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, an expert on PSA screening, dissected
the recently released guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stating that the harms of PSA-based screening for prostate cancer outweigh the benefits. Dr. Etzioni presented the case for “smart” PSA screening. Current PSA screening practice results in overdiagnosis and overtreatment of men with less aggressive disease. Smart screening strategies such as age-specific PSA cutoffs combined with biennial screening could potentially reduce the amount of overdiagnosis by one third while retaining the lives saved by annual screening. Smart screening coupled with active surveillance could be of great value in reducing mortality with a much more acceptable ratio of harm to benefit. More »
Biotech: The High Stakes Table of Entrepreneurship
April 9, 2012
I recently came across this article on Forbes about the high stakes of investing in biotechnology within the context of entrepreneurship. Frankly, I couldn’t agree more. While the focus is primarily on the treatment side, the same sentiment applies to advancing innovation for cancer early detection. It requires upfront investment and the foresight to jump on the unexpected, but the potential reward is huge – millions of lives saved.
“When it comes to getting million-dollar investments, investors in this area [biotechnology] want to see the whole package — an achievable goal, expertise, and no non-sense. ‘Investors have to see that there’s a real problem. Not just a solution in search of a problem,’ [Dr. Molly Schmid] said.”
It can be difficult to educate the public about how important investment is to the biotechnology field. At Canary Foundation, we believe in directing funding and fostering environments that spur innovation. Innovation leads to new ways of solving problems. We use funding invested by donors to seed research and accelerate progress. From there, research teams are well position to demonstrate the results of their work (made possible by initial investment) and attract government and foundation funding. Our goal is to magnify the impact of each investment.
I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on investing in biotechnology and research. Please share your comments and we’ll have a great conversation about how we might be able to shape the future – for the better!
Collaboration & Innovation: 8th Annual Early Detection Symposium
April 6, 2012
At Canary Foundation, one of the core values that drives our organization is collaboration. We believe that our collective impact is greater than our individual contributions; as a result, we are committed to bringing together the best and brightest minds in science to pioneer discovery and accelerate progress. In that spirit, each year Canary Foundation invites hundreds of scientists from all over the world to hear from innovative and inspiring researchers in the field of cancer early detection research. The goal of the Canary Foundation Early Detection Symposium is to convene researchers so they can share their successes and challenges, working together to spur progress and development.
httpv://youtu.be/GeGXc0FuoiA
To learn more, please visit: www.CanarySymposium.org
Let’s Ride!
March 28, 2012
John Novitsky is a Canary Challenge rider and volunteer, as well as a supporter of the Canary Foundation. In this video, John shares his motivation for participating in the Canary Challenge as well as words of inspiration for new and returning riders.
httpv://youtu.be/6ZppfNBauKs
The Canary Challenge is a fully supported bike ride, offering 50-kilometer, 75-kilometer, 100 kilometer, 100-mile rides. Funds raised in 2012 Canary Challenge will be donated to the Stanford Cancer Institute (SCI) to benefit cancer research and innovative supportive care programs. Register now.
