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Archive for the ‘how to detect cancer early’ Category
Mike’s Bikes Supports the Canary Challenge: Riding for Cancer Early Detection
March 19, 2013
We’re very excited to announce that Mike’s Bikes has joined the Canary Foundation family by becoming a Canary Challenge sponsor!
Mike’s Bikes was founded in 1964 as one of Marin County’s very first Schwinn shops. Today, Mike’s Bikes is a growing family of local bike shops, all with a singular purpose – to get as many people on bikes as possible. They own and operate eleven wildly successful stores in Petaluma, San Rafael, Sausalito, San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Sacramento, Walnut Creek, and their newest stores in San Jose and Pleasanton.
Mike’s Bikes will offer a 15% discount to all Canary Challenge riders on parts and accessories at any one of their 11 stores. Riders need to bring in their registration or confirmation form that shows they are a part of the ride. Visit their website to learn more about their products and locations.
Support Mike’s Bikes for supporting Canary, and get a great discount on your riding gear in the process!
Riding Together for Cancer Early Detection: Canary Challenge Celebrates Partnership with Vanderkitten Racing
February 22, 2013
Text “Canary” to 99000 for the scoop on the Canary Challenge!
Canary Challenge celebrated our new partnership with Vanderkitten Racing with a 75K ride along the Canary Challenge route in the lovely hills behind Palo Alto, CA. Ten cyclists from their team came together from all over the world to promote our September 28, 2013 ride to raise funds to benefit the Stanford Cancer Institute and Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection. Since 2005, Vanderkitten has been committed to spreading awareness of women excelling, battling the odds and achieving. They are an organization dedicated to increasing the visibility of successful women and inspiring women by sharing those stories. Canary Challenge is excited and honored to partner with an organization that so highly values and promotes women’s athletics – especially since physical activity is one of the cornerstones of cancer prevention.
The ride lasted about three hours, looping through the scenic route through Portola Valley and up King’s Mountain Road to Woodside and back past Palo Alto. The riders were delighted to be accompanied by Edwin the Early Cancer Detection Early Bird, our very own mascot. If you haven’t ridden the Canary Challenge before, you’ll be astounded by the gorgeous scenery and incredible views. You’re in for a treat!
Following the ride was a healthy lunch and a presentation by our founder, Don Listwin, who articulated the Canary Foundation mission and vision for our new partners. The riders were fascinated by the statistics illustrating how most funding for cancer research goes tocuring cancer at its later stages, rather than investing in technologies that will help us catch it early. By the end of the presentation, the team was fully on board to support Canary’s vision to live in a world where cancer is detected in its earliest, most curable stages.
A tour of the facility proved equally exciting, where the riders had a chance to see the labs and research teams hard at work on the most cutting edge technology in cancer early detection.
We’re beyond thrilled to have Vanderkitten Racing on board for the Canary Challenge. We consider them a part of our team, and they consider us a part of theirs. Join us for the ride onSeptember 28 for a chance to meet the Vanderkitten Racing team and even ride along with them (as long as you can keep up, that is!). Text “Canary” to 99000 for more information, or just go and Register today.
Raising Funds for Cancer Early Detection: Canary Foundation Luncheon 2013
February 13, 2013
Last Friday, 200 supporters of the Canary Foundation joined at the Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club for the Annual Canary Luncheon. Together, we celebrated Canary’s successes in cancer early detection, discussed the latest technology in ovarian and breast cancer early detection research, and reviewed advances in microbubble technology.
All in all, we raised more than $187,000 to support early detection research and funds are still coming in! Special appreciation goes to an anonymous family foundation and Judy and Alan Zafran who provided lead gifts that inspired this giving. We thank them for their belief in our mission.
One of the highlights of the luncheon was watching Jesse Draper of The Valley Girl Show interview our Founder, Don Listwin, and Dr. Sanjiv “Sam” Gambhir, Chair of the Radiology Department at Stanford University and Director of the Canary Center at Stanford. Jesse brought a great energy to the conversation, asking questions about Canary Foundation research and progress, and helping to explain microbubble technology and its role in imaging for cancer early detection. Click here to watch Don Listwin give a breakdown of microbubble technology and how it will change the way we detect cancer in the future.
In addition to discussing technology and research, the interview also reinforced the most basic and fundamental message of the Canary Foundation: to detect cancer at its earliest, most curable stages. One of the highlights day was from Ronica Smucker, Executive Director of Canary Foundation, who stated: “If you come away from this luncheon with any number, it should be this: nine times out of ten, if cancer is detected early, the patient survives.” When asked for the best tip for the audience, Dr. Gambhir urged the audience to make it a priority to attend routine checkups with your doctor- the primary way cancer is detected early.
Thank you once again for all those who attended and helped us make this one of the most successful Canary Luncheons to date. We’ve created a photo gallery of the event on Facebook. We welcome you to check out the photos and tag yourself.
Ovarian Cancer Early Detection: Screening at Stanford School of Medicine
February 7, 2013
On behalf of the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection and the Stanford Cancer Institute, the Canary Foundation is supporting the search for candidates to participate in the Novel Markers Trial Ovarian Cancer Screening Test. This is an important new research study looking at markers in the blood that may be used as an early detection test for ovarian cancer. If you fit the criteria, please consider joining the effort to reach the vision of living in a world of simple tests that identify and isolate cancer at its earliest, most curable stage.
Candidates are needed who fit the following criteria:
- Healthy women
- Ages 45-80
- Have at least one ovary
If you are willing to donate one tube of blood and fill out a questionnaire once a year for two years, we’re looking for you! If you have three of the following risk factors you may qualify:
- Of Ashkenazi Jewish descent
- Never given birth to a child (this counts as two risk factors)
- Never had a tubal ligation
- Used hormonal contraception (birth control pills) for less than a year in your life
If you are interested in learning more, please contact the research study office at novelmarkers@stanford.edu or call (650) 724-3308. For general information about participant rights, contact 1-866-680-2906.
In Memory: Lawrence Viariseo, Canary Challenge Rider and Cancer Early Detection Advocate
January 29, 2013
Lawrence Viariseo survived a fall off of a tall cliff, and fought a brave battle with cancer before his passing in late January. He raised funds for the Canary Challenge in 2012. His service is being held February 9, 2013 in Palo Alto, California.
Mr. Viariseo asked for friends or family members to donate to the Canary Challenge in lieu of flowers.
His niece Megan Cox describes him this way, “As you may remember, my uncle was a paraplegic who had beat stage 4 bladder cancer once before. The doctors at Stanford he felt had saved his life. It meant the world to him to be entering into the challenge in 2012 to give back to those doctors.”
CLICK HERE to make a donation to honor his memory. Please write a personal note if you would like.
Here is a lovely article that ran last year regarding his story, and his commitment to the Canary Challenge.
Microbubble Imaging for Cancer Early Detection: Don Listwin Talks the Latest Technology
January 16, 2013
During our annual Ladies’ Luncheon “You’ve Got a Date with the Valley Girl” on February 8th, Jesse Draper, Don Listwin and Sam Gambhir will focus their conversation on microbubble imaging technology. Sound complicated? Watch this short video where Don explains microbubble technology and how it could radically change the way we detect cancer and stop it at the earliest possible stage. We hope you’ll be able to join us!
Cancer Early Detection in 2012: Spirit of the Holidays!
December 13, 2012
We’re so grateful for all of the contributions by scientists, donors, and everyone who participated in the work of cancer early detection in 2012! We sincerely thank our donors, volunteers, scientists, and clinicians for their hard work and support- we couldn’t do it without you! Watch the slideshow below for a look back at all of Canary’s successes and milestones in 2012.
Early Cancer Detection Success Reaps Spirit Awards from Stanford Cancer Institute
December 12, 2012
Canary Founder Don Listwin Honored for Leadership in Early Detection of Cancer Research
Early detection of cancer research represents the heart and soul of our work. Last week, Stanford Cancer Institute bestowed two 2012 Spirit of Hope Awards upon Canary Foundation and on our founder, Don Listwin. We are so honored to be the recipient of this prestigious award, and are grateful for the opportunity to be publicly recognized for the work we do in the field of early detection.
“The commitment to identifying easy and affordable biomarkers to detect cancer when it is small is the driving force behind the work of Canary Foundation,” said Don. “Canary Foundation is honored to be recognized for this work. Within 10 years, we expect and hope to have the tools, technology, tests and the market to allow you to find cancer early where it is most curable.”
Our work is focused on funding scientific discovery into affordable early detection systems such as blood tests and ultrasound imaging in the fields of ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, breast and lung cancer.
“The major way we’re going to make an impact on cancer is early detection and we are thrilled to partner with Canary in this incredible enterprise,” said Stanford Cancer Institute Director Dr. Beverly Mitchell, MD, as she presented the two awards. More »
Early Cancer Detection Success Leads to Canary Featured as Charity of The Week
December 5, 2012
Early cancer detection results of Canary Foundation led to the honor of being named Charity of the Week by The Week magazine. Canary Foundation early cancer detection research focuses on lung, prostate, pancreatic, breast and ovarian early detection methodologies. The Week magazine is a domestic and international magazine discussing the latest developments in business, health, science, technology, the arts, culture, consumer products and travel.
“Canary Foundation is the world’s first nonprofit dedicated entirely to the development of testes for early cancer detection. Founded in 2004 by Don Listwin, a successful technology executive who lost his mother to misdiagnosed ovarian cancer, Canary Foundation funds collaborative research by teams of cancer experts, with the aim of one day being able to identify early-stage cancer through a simple blood test.
The vast majority of cancer research funding goes to treatments of the disease in later stages; less than 15 percent currently goes to early-detection efforts, when cancer is at its most treatable. Canary Foundation is currently funding early-stage tests for lung, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and breast cancers.”
Thank you so much to The Week Magazine for featuring Canary Foundation as a charity to watch!
Early Cancer Detection Update for National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Health
November 29, 2012
The National Cancer Institute, under the National Institute of Health, plays a crucial role in cancer research throughout the United States. As the nation’s “investment in cancer,” NCI has quite a bit of ground to cover. NCI’s annual budget is approximately $5 billion. In 2010, 7% of NCI’s budget was allocated to the Division of Cancer Prevention. The Early Detection Research Group is one of ten groups in this division, and the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) is one of the division’s six major projects. This means that early detection research is receiving a fraction of that 7% budget.
Although early detection may not be their top focus, NCI has moved to make a more substantial investment in early detection research and technology, and is making headway in this area. Additionally, NCI has collaborated with Canary Foundation on early detection projects.
NCI started EDRN to bring together multiple institutions working on early detection research. Early detection has many facets and therefore requires the work of leaders from many fields. By working together, different institutions can more effectively facilitate advances in early detection science and translate these advances into clinical practice. Canary Foundation operates in this same way, organizing multi-institutional studies and moving studies towards clinical practice.
The NCI has also developed accelerated programs called SPORES, or Specialized Programs of Research Excellence. SPORE studies are set up to be short-term (five years or less) and high-impact where they can translate quickly to clinical use and improve the lives of humans. Their objective is to reduce cancer incidence and mortality, while seeking to better the quality of life for cancer patients. Several of Canary Foundation’s programs and researchers are involved in important SPORE work including our Ovarian and Prostate Cancer Programs. More »
