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Posts Tagged ‘Canary Foundation’
The Canary Center at Stanford – A word from our researchers on safely reopening
September 16, 2020
Over the years, Canary Foundation has helped researchers develop successful ways of working together over distance, and we draw on that experience during these times.
A message on the Canary Center re-opening from:
Dr. Utkan Demirci, Co-Director, Canary Center at Stanford
Dr. Ryan Spitler, Deputy Director of the Precision Health and Integrated Diagnostics Center
Dr. Sharon Pitteri, Associate Professor, Canary Center at Stanford
We discover ways to move forward while staying safe. From the very early arrival of COVID-19, we have been able to successfully keep the Canary Center vibrant with virtual interactions and with safety in mind. We have implemented measures for social distancing, and staggered laboratory shifts as we follow the guidance on re-opening stages from the Radiology department and Stanford University. We are using our time out of the lab well. Many researchers have taken this hard-to-find time to focus on data analysis, writing manuscripts, reading scientific literature, and developing new ideas for future projects. We also are exploring intersecting dimensions between cancer and COVID-19 related research. We have asked ourselves this question: how are we uniquely positioned to contribute to the pandemic crisis through the work we are doing in cancer early detection?
We look after each other. Everyone working in the Center has committed to the safety and well-being of every other Canary member. This is key. Each research group also has their own independent safety plan to ensure they are aware of their colleagues as well as their specific research needs. Collectively, we have been building up our research efforts in phases.
We will continue to push forward to detect cancer before it strikes and support COVID-19 related efforts. Take our Smart Toilet system. The Smart Toilet system is a wave-of-the-near-future method of collecting important changes in biodata to serve personalized medicine. We have been able to modify our Smart Toilet system originally designed for early cancer detection to also be used as a screening tool to detect COVID-19. This approach enhances longitudinal testing and serves to detect very small, early changes. Unnecessary exposure is also limited for the patient and the health care provider who normally must come in close proximity for a nasal swab that often triggers a cough or sneeze.
Human health is our passion and one that burns strongly no matter what challenges we face.
To better envision the opening of the Canary Center, please enjoy this brief video.
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, pioneer in molecular imaging, Director of the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, dies at 57
July 21, 2020
From Stanford University News:
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD, professor and chair of radiology at the Stanford School of Medicine and an internationally recognized pioneer in molecular imaging, died July 18 of cancer. He was 57. He was a global leader in advancing techniques for molecular imaging and early cancer detection.
Below is the message that Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, shared with the community on July 18.
Words cannot express what an immense loss this is personally, for our Stanford community, and for the field of medicine.
Sam was an uncommonly talented physician-scientist. As the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor in Cancer Research and director of the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Sam earned international recognition as a pioneer of molecular imaging. He authored nearly 700 peer-reviewed articles, several books, filed for 40 patents, and his lab’s work has been featured on dozens of journal covers. But Sam was most proud to see many of his discoveries translate to the clinic, which today benefit patients around the globe.
To many of us, however, Sam was much more: a dear friend. His kindness, sense of humor, and graceful way with people were among his defining qualities and will be sorely missed by those who knew him.
I first met Sam in 2012 when he was serving as co-chair of the search committee that selected me to be Dean. It was then that I immediately understood why he is so revered at Stanford Medicine and across the university. As a leader and as a person, Sam exemplified through his life the best of Stanford and the highest values to which we aspire.
Many of us witnessed Sam’s courage and tenacity during the 21 months that he and his wife Aruna fought for the life of their son Milan, who passed away in 2015 at the age of sixteen. Sam understood the fragility of human health and worked every day to apply his genius to research focused on diagnosing disease in its earliest and most treatable stages.
Sam was an advocate for precision health long before it was popularized. In recent years, he dedicated his life to the early detection of cancer as director of the Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection at Stanford. In 2016, he established the Precision Health and Integrated Diagnostics (PHIND) Center to help create the future he envisioned for health care—a world in which technologies continuously monitor our health to keep us healthy.
Throughout his prolific career, he mentored more than 150 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. These leaders, representing more than ten disciplines, will carry on his legacy.
I hope that we may come together as a community, virtually and in spirit, to support each other during this difficult time and to share our memories of Sam—a scientific visionary, a trusted mentor, a beloved colleague and friend.
In lieu of flowers, the Gambhir family prefers donations to the PHIND Center, the Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection at Stanford, the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation, or The Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professorship in Translational Medicine.
Sincerely,
Lloyd Minor
Team Vanderkitten Partners with the Canary Challenge for the Third Year in a Row
March 18, 2014
The Canary Challenge has partnered with pro women’s cycling team, Team Vanderkitten for the third year in a row. The Vanderkittens are sponsoring the Canary Challenge ride on September 27, 2014, which benefits the Canary Center at Stanford for Early Cancer Detection.
Team Vanderkitten is a professional women’s cycling team that competes in major women’s cycling events around the world.
The Vanderkittens kicked off this year’s sponsorship of the Canary Challenge by holding an exclusive training ride, which met at the all-new Canary Center at Stanford For Early Cancer Detection in Palo Alto, California. The Canary Center is a state of the art research center that employs teams of scientists in the field of early cancer detection research.
Vanderkitten Team Director, Jono Coulter, “This is our 3rd year with the Canary Challenge. We’re bringing riders from all over the world: Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, to come and ride this event. Early cancer detection is super important to this community and we want to bring a lot of riders out to take advantage of the wonderful riding in Northern California and raise money for the Canary Foundation.”
The Vanderkittens, alongside Vanderkitten VIP riders, and Canary Challenge Team Captains, enjoyed a stunning ride that climbed through the hills of the Bay Area Peninsula and up the famous Kings Mountain climb which will be part of the course for the Canary Challenge on September 27, 2014.
Vanderkitten VIPs are ambassadors of the Vanderkitten brand and leading women in the outdoor lifestyle world. After the ride, the group enjoyed lunch, a tour of the Canary Center, and a presentation on early cancer detection research from Canary Foundation Executive Director, Ronica Sanders Smucker.
Canary Foundation is the world’s first non-profit organization dedicated solely to the funding, discovery, and development of tests for early cancer detection. They are the host and beneficiary of the upcoming annual Canary Challenge, a fundraiser bike ride that starts and finishes from the HP headquarters in Palo Alto. In 2013, the Canary Challenge raised over $800,000 for early cancer detection research, achieved by over 800 participants.
The Canary Challenge in 2014 aims to raise $1.25 million with 1500 riders. The Canary Challenge is the premier single day cycling fundraiser in the San Francisco Bay Area, touting rest stops featuring gourmet food, full support, and a family-friendly after party at the finish line.
The Canary Challenge is on September 27, 2014 and features 5 routes, ranging from 5k to 100mi. To sign up, visit www.CanaryChallenge.com.
Registration Open for Canary Challenge 2014 in Honor of World Cancer Day
February 4, 2014
In honor of World Cancer Day, we are officially opening registration for the Canary Challenge 2014. Register for the ride now for $25 until March 31.
World Cancer Day is a chance to raise our collective voices in the name of improving general knowledge around cancer and dismissing misconceptions about the disease. For Canary, we’re emphasizing the need for more cancer early detection research, awareness, and advocacy. A great way to get involved is by participating in the Canary Challenge 2014.
This amazing one-day cycling event is about to get bigger and better than ever. The event will be hosted at HP’s campus in Palo Alto on Hanover St. We’re aiming high this year with a goal of raising $1.5 million, recruiting 150 teams and over 1,500 riders. This year’s ride will benefit the Canary Center at Stanford, supporting the researchers, scientists and doctors who are dedicated to cancer early detection. Register now and be part of the pioneering edge of cancer early detection research!
Upwards and Onwards: Canary Goals for 2014
January 29, 2014
The beginning of the year presents a cue to reflect on the successes of the previous year, and look forward to goals for the coming months. We’re delighted to announce progress with our research that has tremendous implications for future innovations, as well as our ambitions for the Canary Challenge 2014.
New technologies always evoke excitement and anticipation. Here at Canary, if a scientist wants to use a new technology to advance or improve the ways we detect cancer tumors early, we are all for it. Enhanced ultrasound using microbubble technology is one of these technologies.
This technology will change the way doctors view tumors. Microbubbles are miniature gas bubbles, mostly containing oxygen or air, which can be uniformly suspended in a liquid such as blood. Due to their size, they can pass through even the smallest of blood vessels and therefore are commonly used together with medical ultrasound imaging. As effective vehicles for highlighting blood in ultrasound images, Canary scientists use microbubbles as a contrast agent to view cancer tumors. Our clinical trials in Rome with women who have ovarian cancer have produced great results. Here in the US, we anticipate replicating microbubble technology for applications with breast cancer, prostate and pancreatic cancer.
We also value and actively seek out key partnerships, whether academic or industry. Soon we’ll announce a partnership with Genomic Health Inc. in the area of prostate cancer. We’re in talks with MD Anderson in Houston to help with coordinating a national multi-institutional lung cancer study.
We have great plans for our largest fundraising event, the Canary Challenge, which is about to get bigger and better than ever. Mark your calendar now for September 27, 2014. Register now for $25 until March 31. The event will be hosted at HP’s campus in Palo Alto on Hanover St. We’re aiming high this year with a goal of raising $1.5 million, recruiting 150 teams and over 1,500 riders. This year’s ride will benefit the Canary Center at Stanford, supporting the researchers, scientists and doctors who are dedicated to cancer early detection. Come be a part of an amazing one-day cycling event!
We’re pleased to announce that we will again be partnering with women’s pro cycling team extraordinaire, the Vanderkittens, who will host monthly training rides for Canary Challenge riders. Hani Juha, a cyclist and great coach, of Menlo Bike Club will also offer weekly training rides, an annual training program, as well as monthly clinics. We invite anyone and everyone in the Canary community to take advantage of these tailored experiences to brush up on their skills in time for the event.
What are your hopes and dreams for cancer early detection research at Canary Foundation? Let us know in the comments below!
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.
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!
Canary Challenge 2012: Ride for Life Raises Funds for Cancer Research
November 6, 2012
On September 29, 500 riders convened at VMware in Palo Alto to set off on the Canary Challenge ride. All together, we raised $514,000 to benefit the Stanford Cancer Institute and the Canary Center at Stanford. This year’s numbers far surpassed last year’s ride of 344 riders and $300,000 raised. Take note: we have even bigger plans for next year!
Join us on Septeber 28, 2013 for the Canary Challenge 2013. In 2013, we’re looking forward to bringing 1,000 riders in to raise $1M and we’ve added a fun family 5K route for cyclists of all ages.
Founders Expedite Change
October 30, 2012
Founders of nonprofit organizations are motivated to make a big difference where they see a problem in society. They come to understand there is a great need that only a nonprofit can fill. They allocate resources into starting the nonprofit and to developing a community that will help further the mission and resolve the problem. Canary Foundation was conceived by founder Don Listwin, who gives his all to generating affordable and easy early cancer detection biomarkers and imaging tools as part of Canary Foundation’s mission.
If you look at the history of philanthropy, you may be surprised to learn how far back this idea goes, and marvel at the rich environment of direct services, research, innovation, education, culture and arts the nonprofit sector has spawned. We can trace this idea as far back as Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher who donated his farm to his nephew upon his death in 347 A.D., to fund students and faculty in the Academy of Athens he founded. More »
