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SEPTEMBER 2014
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Hope Couture Raises over $1.5 Million to Create New Possibilities for Hard-To-Treat Cancers in BC
On Wednesday, September 10th the fashion event of the season, Hope Couture, raised an incredible $1,540,393 to support the purchase of a state-of-the-art VERO™ machine, a technologically-advanced radiotherapy system. One of the first machines of its kind in Canada, the VERO™ will be located at the BC Cancer Agency Vancouver Centre.
The elegant, sold-out fashion show and luncheon event was held at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver with 400 Vancouverites in attendance. Vancouver's boutique retailers, Bacci's and Boboli, presented fall fashions from some of the most sought-after designers of the season.
“Hope Couture has provided us with a tremendous opportunity to advance cancer treatment and research at the BC Cancer Agency,” says Dr. Roy Ma, radiation oncologist at the BC Cancer Agency. “Bringing the VERO™ to B.C. will create an unequalled opportunity to help improve outcomes for cancer patients in British Columbia. Having VERO™ will enable the building of a clinical research program, acquiring knowledge from evidence-based practices that can be shared world-wide.”
Read more about Hope Couture.
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A New Era in Radiation Therapy
 Approximately 55 percent of cancer patients receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment. Success relies on experts’ ability to identify the tumour location, calculate a precise dose of radiation and deliver it while avoiding damage to surrounding tissue.
The VERO™ machine is the most advanced radiation therapy delivery system available. While Hope Couture raised an incredible $1,540,393 towards the purchase of the VERO™ machine, the total price-tag to bring this life-saving technology to B.C. is $6.5 million. We’re relying on BC Cancer Foundation donors to help us get the rest of the way!
Our goal is to raise $500,000 by October 1st to accelerate our efforts to bring this technology home.
Find out more about this new era in cancer treatment and how you can help give B.C. families more options.
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Spotlight on Funding Priorities - Lymphoid Cancer Research: A Pivotal Moment in Time
 Lymphoid cancer research is the second in a series of profiles on the BC Cancer Foundation’s current funding priorities.
In the past ten years, scientists and researchers at the BC Cancer Agency’s Centre for Lymphoid Cancer (CLC) have expanded the global understanding of this disease and dramatically improved the lives of lymphoid cancer patients.
A key to the CLC’s incredible success is the strategic foresight of its Co-Directors, Dr. Joseph Connors and Dr. Randy Gascoyne: they were among the first to build patient databases, embrace once-novel genomic sequencing concepts and incorporate genomic diagnostics into real patient scenarios.
Now, Drs. Connors and Gascoyne are leading cutting-edge lymphoid cancer research through the pursuit of two groundbreaking projects:
Personalized Treatment of Lymphoid Cancer: Under Dr. Connors’ clinical leadership, the CLC has embarked on a unique study—the first of its kind in Canada—to use B.C. as a real world laboratory for creating a cost-effective, genomically-based model of care for lymphoid cancer patients.
Discovering the Causes of Treatment Failure in Lymphoid Cancer: Over the next three years, researchers at the CLC will study the genetic determinants that underlie treatment failure. If physicians can determine at the time of diagnosis which patients’ disease will progress rapidly and which patients are at risk for developing aggressive lymphoma, they will be able to apply different therapeutics and apply them at an earlier stage of the disease.
Learn more about Lymphoid Cancer Research and other research priorities.
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Pender Island Charity Home Auctioned Off
 On Friday, August 22, a crowd of excited bidders gathered on North Pender Island for the auction of the incredible Madrona Grove luxury home. The event featured a live performance by Juno award-winning guitarist Jesse Cook and was attended by over 100 guests, including the home’s donors Robert and Diane Conconi.
Hosted by The Garage Sale Luxury Auction House, the stunning seaside luxury home was successfully auctioned off for $725,000 with 100 per cent of the net proceeds going to the BC Cancer Foundation to support cancer research and enhancements to care at the BC Cancer Agency. In total, $800,000 was raised from the auction and event party.
“Upon receiving the home from Robert and Diane and with current market conditions we knew the traditional way of selling this property would not suffice,” says Douglas Nelson, President and CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation. “We came to The Garage Sale Luxury Auction House to ensure the Foundation received the best value from the Conconi’s donation. The proceeds will be put to use immediately.”
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Introducing September Guest Blogger Dr. Ross Halperin
Thank you to Dr. Miriam Rosin and the BC Oral Cancer Prevention Program team for giving us the inside scoop on oral cancer research and the many accomplishments that have taken place at the BC Cancer Agency.
In September we welcome Dr. Ross Halperin, Interim Provincial Professional Practice Leader, Radiation Therapy, Functional Imaging, Oral Oncology and Surgery at the BC Cancer Agency. Dr. Halperin will share exciting updates and speak about the important role equipment and technology play in providing the highest standard of care for patients in British Columbia.
Read our Partners in Discovery blog here.
Check Out the Fall Issue of Partners in Discovery Magazine!
With the 10th anniversary Inspiration Gala coming up on November 1st, it’s only fitting that long-time Gala supporter Jane Hungerford graces the cover of our Fall issue of Partners in Discovery magazine.
Take a look at the online version to learn more about the 2014 Gala’s ambitious goal of raising $5 million to support the BC Cancer Agency’s Personalized Onco-Genomics (POG) Program.
In this issue you can also read about PyClone, a revolutionary tool to investigate the mystery of why some cancer patients don’t respond to treatment. The BC Cancer Foundation’s new Gratitude Program which allows British Columbians to recognize an outstanding member of the Agency who has made a difference in their life or that of a loved one.
Read the Fall issue of Partners in Discovery Magazine.
Cypress Challenge Raises over $415,000 for Pancreatic Cancer Research
On August 16, over 600 cyclists rode up Cypress Mountain representing the 600 British Columbians that will succumb to pancreatic cancer this year at the 7th Annual Glotman-Simpson Cypress Challenge.
The $415,000 raised at this inspiring event will go to the BC Cancer Foundation to support life-saving research at the BC Cancer Agency, to unlock the mysteries of one of the deadliest cancers.
Read more about the Cypress Challenge.
Reminder: Emperor of All Maladies Lecture
On Saturday, October 4, the BC Cancer Foundation is proud to host world-renowned cancer physician, researcher and author Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee.
Dr. Mukherjee will be in Vancouver to deliver a lecture on his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.
Learn more about Dr. Mukherjee’s lecture.
More Events
Please visit our calendar of events here to see what is happening in a community near you.
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