Cycle for Survival, the movement to beat rare cancers, is aiming to raise $2.5 million during their December Challenge campaign.
| NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cycle for Survival, the movement to beat rare cancers, is aiming to raise $2.5 million during their December Challenge campaign. This fundraising effort includes support for a highly advanced light sheet fluorescence microscope (LSFM) that will elevate the way researchers in the Developmental Biology Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI) are studying the root causes of cancer. SKI is the experimental research arm of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).
Before the existence of LSFM technology, it was considered impossible to capture high-quality images of biological processes such as organ development at the single cell level. Because cells are the building blocks of organs and tissues, understanding their behavior — and how this behavior can go awry — is crucial to MSK’s mission to prevent, control and ultimately cure cancer. This advanced microscope system uses a combination of high-speed, three-dimensional image data acquisition and leading-edge adaptive optics technology. The result: it’s gentle enough to observe delicate samples without causing them damage, and fast enough to efficiently explore active biological processes unfold in real time. Scientists in the SKI Developmental Biology Program will use a suite of sophisticated software to analyze the extraordinary amount of data captured by the microscope, turning a task that would manually take years into one that can be completed in just days. “The LSFM is a transformative technology, and thanks to Cycle for Survival, we will be equipped to study cell behavior in a novel way. Our goal is to unravel the biological blueprint of cancer. We want to understand more about how communities of cells build organs — and how cells in organs can become cancerous — and translate this research into new and better treatments for patients,” said Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis, PhD, Chair of the Developmental Biology Program at SKI. “Cycle for Survival is helping to make the impossible possible. We’ll be able to produce meaningful insights in a fraction of the time.” Cycle for Survival’s December Challenge is an annual fundraising push to acquire a groundbreaking type of technology as part of the larger peer-to-peer fundraising program. About 37,500 participants will ride in one of 80 indoor team cycling events happening across the country in January, February and March. All are welcome to join by registering a team, or supporting with a donation. With support from Equinox, sponsors and the dedicated community of participants and donors, Cycle for Survival funds research that is driving global change for rare cancer treatments. One hundred percent of every dollar raised goes to rare cancer research and clinical trials led by MSK, which owns and operates Cycle for Survival. To read about research breakthroughs made possible because of Cycle for Survival funding, go to cycleforsurvival.org/what-you-fund or visit cycleforsurvival.org to learn more. MORE INFORMATION About Cycle for Survival About Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center About Equinox
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