Newswise — SBP is pleased to announce that it has been awarded four Padres Pedal the Cause (PPTC) collaborative grants with UCSD Moores Cancer Center. The projects funded include research to help understand cancer and find novel therapies that exploit its vulnerabilities. The awards are part of the $2.4 million raised in the November 2017 cycling event—the largest annual contribution in the five-year history of the organization. 

“We are fortunate to have such a strong relationship with Pedal the Cause and the participating clinicians and researchers at UCSD Moores Cancer Center, says Garth Powis, D.Phil., director of SBP’s NCI-designated Cancer Center. “These resources support important cancer projects that will provide new insights into developing drugs and treatments designed to attack and hopefully kill cancer.”

In November 2017, more than 1,500 riders; and hundreds of volunteers, donors and sponsors, took part in the cycling event. SBP volunteers hosted a water station for riders during the event, and many riders stopped to take fun photos in front of the bright-orange SBP logo.
 

SBP’s funded projects are listed below:

  • Understanding and Targeting NRF2 in Pancreatic Cancer
    Jorge Moscat, Ph.D., (SBP), Michael Karin, Ph.D., (UC San Diego), and Andrew Lowy, M.D., Moores Cancer Center) 

  • Inducing Cytosolic Chromatin Fragments in Cancer Cells to Turn Cold Tumors Hot
    Peter Adams, Ph.D.
     (SBP), and Jack Bui, M.D., Ph.D. (Moores Cancer Center) 

  • Responses of Melanoma Patients to Checkpoint Immunotherapy
    Linda Bradley, Ph.D.
     (SBP), and Greg Daniels, M.D., Ph.D. (Moores Cancer Center) 

  • Natural Killer Cells for Treatment of Medulloblastoma
    Rob Wechsler-Reya, Ph.D. (SBP), and Dan Kaufman M.D., Ph.D. (Moores Cancer Center)

 
The sixth annual Padres Pedal the Cause event takes place November 17, 2018, and will feature cycling courses for riders of all skill levels. At Petco Park there will be a stationary bike zone, virtual riding and a children’s ride, as well as volunteer opportunities for those who want to make a different in the fight against cancer.

###

About SBP

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is an independent nonprofit medical research organization that conducts world-class, collaborative, biological research and translates its discoveries for the benefit of patients. SBP focuses its research on cancer, immunity, neurodegeneration, metabolic disorders and rare children’s diseases. The Institute invests in talent, technology and partnerships to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries that will have the greatest impact on patients. Recognized for its world-class NCI-designated Cancer Center and the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, SBP employs nearly 900 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), Calif., and Orlando (Lake Nona), Fla. For more information, visit us at SBPdiscovery.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/SBPdiscovery and on Twitter @SBPdiscovery. 

About Padres Pedal the Cause

Padres Pedal the Cause is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to funding collaborative cancer research in San Diego. To date, Padres Pedal has raised and donated over $7.1 million to fund 42 translational research projects at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Rady Children’s Hospital and Sanford-Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. It is our goal that the research funded by Padres Pedal the Cause will lead to increased survivorship and ultimately, a cure. For more information or to register for the November 17 event, please visit gopedal.org. Padres Pedal can also be found on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.