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Archive for the ‘Cancer Early Detection’ Category

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 »

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 »

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.

Rally Your Team for the Canary Challenge!

March 8, 2012

Dr. Fred Chin, Head of Cyclotron Radiochemistry at Stanford University Medical Center & Canary Challenge Rider, extends his passion for early cancer detection research beyond the lab, fundraising and promoting awareness through his participation in the Canary Challenge. He shares his motivation for creating and leading “Team MIPS” (Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford), leveraging the opportunity to bond and build relationships with other researchers and physicians on the team. Watch this short video to learn more about Fred’s experience, goals, and words of wisdom for new riders.

httpv://youtu.be/um5vGkRPAgg

Funds raised in 2012 Canary Challenge will be donated to the Stanford Cancer Institute (SCI) to benefit cancer research and innovative supportive care programs. Cancer strikes about one in three women and one in two men in the United States. Canary Foundation, the producer of the event, is committed to identifying early stage cancers to save lives.

To register for the Canary Challenge, visit: www.CanaryChallenge.com

The Role of a Postdoc Researcher in the Lab

March 5, 2012

Majlinda Kullolli is a Postdoc research fellow in Dr. Sharon Pitteri’s lab at the Canary Center at Stanford University. In this interview, Majlinda shares what the role of a Postdoc is in a lab, as well as her experience working at the Canary Center.

What is a postdoc’s role in the lab?
My role in the lab is to conduct research projects, to think independently, be highly motivated, design and carryout experiments, analyze data, and interpret results. It’s my responsibility to fully understand the technical details of projects as well as to understand each project in the larger context of cancer early detection. In short, it is my job to make sure that the project is getting done successfully.

What is the mission of Dr. Pitteri’s lab?
The mission of the lab is to discover proteins that can be used for diagnostics, progression, and the recurrence of cancer. The lab is mostly concentrated on breast cancer and ovarian cancer research. Most of the work is done with human plasma samples but we also work with cancer cell lines.

Why did you choose this position?
I received my Ph.D. working in Bill Hancock’s lab at Northeastern University. I was working in biomarker discovery for autoimmune disease, but I always wanted to study cancer biology. When I saw this position at the Canary Center for Early Detection, I was interested because I’ve always been fascinated in the study of early detection for cancer. It’s important to know about a disease at the beginning, during the early stages of tumor initiation. Catching cancer early provides a better opportunity to cure and treat the patient.

What are your personal goals in this trajectory?
My personal goal is to be able to learn more about early detection and cancer and help discover biomarkers that can be used for early cancer diagnostics. I am excited to work in a highly collaborative environment which allows me to grow and learn as a scientist.

Why I Chose Early Detection Research at the Canary Center

February 28, 2012

As a scientist, I knew early in my career that I wanted to focus on research that would affect human health and suffering. In 2012, I joined the team at Canary Center at Stanford because I recognized that I had an unparalleled opportunity to do early detection research that will impact millions of lives – for the better. I invite you to learn more about the ground breaking research we do at the Canary Center at Stanford and why early detection is critical to the fight against cancer.

httpv://youtu.be/0OEv1CQDvAA

Joining the Fight Against Breast Cancer

February 8, 2012

Currently, a woman living in the U.S. has a 12.1% risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer — that’s 1 out of 8 women. Think about 8 women you know; mothers, sisters, friends, coworkers – that’s how close this disease is to each of us. It’s a disease that requires our attention, resources, and brightest minds to work collaboratively to beat it. Today, we announce another bold step in our mission: the launch of the Canary Breast Cancer Program.

We’re funding two forward-thinking research projects that will lay the foundation for a new Breast Cancer Early Detection Initiative. One study will focus on finding biomarkers in the blood of women diagnosed with breast cancer that may indicate the presence of tumor growth. The second study will develop an imaging modality to detect breast cancer at the earliest stages. As such, it offers great potential in detecting very small tumors– pinpointing the location for surgery or target therapies before the cancer has the chance to spread.

Building upon the successful models of our other research programs, we have a tremendous opportunity to develop early detection tools that will help save the lives of women all over the world.

Our work wouldn’t be possible without the support of our community. We invite you to take action, show your support by making a donation to the Breast Cancer Early Detection Initiative.

 Sharon Pitteri, PhD, Assistant Professor of Research at the Canary Center at Stanford, will be leading this bold initiative forward. In this video, she shares her inspiration for working in the field of early detection as well as a brief overview of the program structure and goals. 

httpv://youtu.be/4P1cLWJxC5Y