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- Posted Tuesday April 23, 2013
Seena Magowitz Foundation donates $500,000 for TGen pancreatic cancer research
Major charity golf tournaments in Phoenix and Atlanta help fund successful clinical trials of drug that helps extend patients' lives
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - April 23, 2013 - The Seena
Magowitz Foundation has donated $500,000 from two charity golf
tournaments dedicated to supporting pancreatic cancer research at
the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).
Past donations from the Seena Magowitz Foundation have helped fund
significant scientific research that is making a difference in the
lives of pancreatic cancer patients and their families.
In January, TGen Physician-In-Chief Dr. Daniel Von Hoff presented
study results at a San Francisco cancer
symposium, showing that the drug Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel) when
combined with gemcitabine, significantly extended the survival of
pancreatic cancer patients. The Seena Magowitz Foundation helped
fund the clinical trials that led to this advance.
"A decade of advocacy and fundraising is really paying off with
concrete results that are actually helping pancreatic patients
survive longer," said Roger Magowitz, President and Co-Founder of
the Seena Magowitz Foundation. "Our supporters deserve to take a
bow, because the research behind these advances might not be
possible without their help."
Pancreaticcancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer death
in the U.S. and annually takes the lives of more than 38,000
Americans. A staggering 75percent of those diagnosed die
within the first year, and only 6 percentsurvive more than
five years.
The most recent $500,000 donation to TGen from the Seena Magowitz
Foundation represented funds raised during the 10th annual Seena
Magowitz Golf Classic on Dec. 8 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, and
also from the 3rd annual Atlanta Golf Classic, organized Oct. 1 by
pancreatic cancer survivor Howard Young, President of General
Wholesale Beer Company. Young is a TGen Foundation Board Member and
Chairman of TGen's National Advisory Council for Pancreatic Cancer
Research.
"TGen could not have made the progress we have against this
disease without the unflagging dedication of special people like
Roger Magowitz and Howard Young, and the hundreds of supporters
they have inspired over the past decade," said TGen Foundation
President Michael Bassoff.
Magowitz informed the TGen Foundation of the $500,000 donation
during the March 28 Evening on the Diamond, an annual fundraising
event hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
"We are experiencing a remarkable confluence of forces between the
Seena Magowitz Foundation, Major League Baseball and TGen in the
fight against this most aggressive and deadly of cancers," Magowitz
said. "It is this kind of concerted effort, backed by prominent
individuals and organizations, that eventually will lead to a cure
for pancreatic cancer."
Evening on the Diamond included the presentation of the Arizona
Diamondbacks Foundation Community Leadership Award, now named in
memory of Lee Hanley, the late TGen Foundation Board Member who
passed away in 2012 from pancreatic cancer. The newly named Lee T.
Hanley Community Leadership Award was presented to former Arizona
Sen. Jon Kyl for his 26 years of service in the U.S. Congress. Past
winners include TGen Board Chairman Bill Post, TGen Foundation
Board Member Karl Eller, and TGen President and Research Director
Dr. Jeffrey Trent.
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alyssa Bonagura, who
performed Dec. 8 during the 10th annual Seena Magowitz Golf
Classic, also performed during Evening on the Diamond.
In March, Brian Cashman, Senior Vice President and General Manager
of the New York Yankees, at the invitation of D-backs President and
CEO Derrick Hall, joined TGen's National Advisory Council for
Pancreatic Cancer Research. Both MLB officials' fathers died from
the disease, and Hall was master of ceremonies at the Seena
Magowitz Golf Classic.
Major sponsors of the golf tournament include: Leggett &
Platt, Mattress Firm, Sealy, MattressDiscounters, Sleep Inc.,
Serta, Comfort Revolution, Ellman Family Vineyards,General
Wholesale Beer Company, Morley Company, Simmons, Raymond
James,Customatic, and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Roger Magowitz founded the Seena Magowitz Foundation in honor of
his mother, Seena, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2001.
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About the Seena Magowitz Foundation
The Seena Magowitz Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization committed to advancing the awareness and eventual
prevention and cure of pancreatic cancer. The Foundation is
dedicated to funding top medical institutions on the leading edge
of translational pancreatic cancer research committed to diagnosis,
the advancement of life-extending treatment options and the
ultimate goal of eradicating this deadly killer. For more
information, visit: www.seenamagowitzfoundation.org.
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About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. For more
information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]