Dr. Soheil Dadras – Stanford University (Standford, CA)
Investigating the Role of Small Ribonucleic Acids (RNAs) in the Progression of Cutaneous Melanoma
Award in honor of Miles 4 Melanoma Pan-American Bike Ride (in memory of George Madzia), Kelly’s Dream, Wine Country Golf Classic (in memory of Joe Falso and Joe Roth) and Jessica Scruggs

You can go to http://tinyurl.com/miles4melanoma to see where we are (service no longer active).

Go to www.findmespot.com for more information about the Spot Satellite Personal Tracker service.

Thank you to Spot Inc!

Adventure Cycling developed the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route in conjunction with the Center for Minority Health at the University of Pittsburgh to honor one of the most fabled paths to freedom in the world. The route celebrates the bravery of those who chose to flee slavery and the scores of Americans that offered aid on their route to freedom.

The Miles 4 Melanoma Pan-American Ride Team thanks Lois Moss of Walk+Roll for purchasing the maps of the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route from the Adventure Cycling Association for our use during the initial portion of our tour from Ohio to the Gulf Coast of the United States.

• 10:00am – Depart from Lakewood
• 12:00 Noon – Arrive at Walk+Roll Cleveland in Rockefeller Park.
  • Meet the Miles 4 Melanoma team as they meet with representative from Tri-Flow / Sherwin-Williams.
  • Receive Tri-Flow product samples.
  • Learn about the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route
  • Ride/walk/skate on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (closed to car traffic for the event)
  • See www.walkroll.com for more details!
• 1:00pm – Depart from Rockefeller Park
  • Ride with us to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail! You’ll need to return to Rockefeller Park on your own (route details to be published soon).

We use Triflow lubricant by the gallon at Century Cycles, and needless to say, it would have been on our trip packing list one way or another. In addition to providing products to use during our trip, Triflow is also providing us with clothing and very generous financial support for our trip expenses and to The Melanoma Research Foundation.

Thank you very much!

Tri-Flow is a division of The Sherwin-Williams Company.

Ray and I rode our bikes to visit with several Triflow personnel at their offices today. Here is a shot of us taking a break in downtown Cleveland just before our meeting:

Several years ago, I purchased a pair of cycling-specific sunglasses from another high-end company, along with a clip-in prescription adapter. While the sunglasses themselves were decent, I never really felt that I could see as well as I should have using the prescription adapter. Plus, a big drawback of any clip-in adapter is that in wet or foggy conditions, both the regular lens and the prescription adapter fog up. You have to unclip the adapter, then wipe the fog off of both the regular lenses and adapter. By the time you get them put back together, everything is bound to be fogged up all over again!

So, I began looking for sunglasses that could be fitted with regular prescription lenses. At Century Cycles, we have sold sunglasses from Tifosi Optics for a number of years, and I have used several different pair of them myself, and been quite satisfied with them. A select number of their styles are available with their DirectFit Rx technology. I asked them if they would be willing to provide me with a pair, and they very generously agreed.

I chose the frame style known as the Czar, and also chose the polarized lens option for better protection in the blazing Central American sun. I received them on July 24, and have tested them out on several bike rides since then. I am enourmously pleased with the style, fit, comfort, and most of all, the vision quality. Thank you very much, Tifosi!

A big thanks to Peter Pelychaty, the Eastern Regional Technical Manager for WTB, for making it happen.

WTB was founded in 1982 in Marin County, California, and provides high-quality components and accessories for mountain bikes, including saddles, wheels, tires, pedals, grips, and handlebars.

Second Year Career Development Awards

Dr. Alexander Krupnick – Washington University (St. Louis): Award in Honor of Katie Brennan, Dermatology Interest Group (DIG) of Texas Tech, Vanderbilt/Meharry, and Wright University, Karen Dolge, Tyler Feldman, William Gelston, Ian Maclellan, Beth Nagurny, and Ralphstock

Dr. Arati Sharma – The Pennsylvania College of Medicine (Hershey): Award in Memory of John Geltrude and Tricia Elaine Black by Teb’s Troops

Dr. Angela Hess – Bloomsburg University (Pennsylvania): Award in Memory of Kathy Domijan, Art Fuller, Robert Hansen, Mary Ellen Koutny, Chris Kutter, Paul Mikaulauskas, Kathy Salling, Deb Sandry, Whitney Watkins, Leonard E. Warren, and Jon Warrington

Dr. Jonathan Lee – UMDNJ/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (New Brunswick): Award in Memory of Kent McCullough

Dr. Gregory Lesinski – The Ohio State University: Award in Memory of Judie Bailey, Tom Butler, Amanda Carter-Horn, Joe Falso, George Madzia, Gordon Meldrum, Amber Murphy, Murray Richardson, Carl Osterlof, Mike Revers, Bruce Schocken, Bob Whitman, and George A. Wilkins

Dr. Victoria Crotzer – Indiana School of Medicine: Award from The Bill Walter III Melanoma Research Fund and In Memory of Aaron Anchor and Jack Riemen

Dr. Kevin Brown – The Translational Genomics Research Institute (Phoenix): Award in Honor of 2007 Wings of Hope Recipient: Dr. Paul Chapman

Dr. Xiaowe Xu – University of Pennsylvania: Award in Memory of Kathy Bowers, Lucien Caron, Gary D. Cox, Kerry Daveline, Randy G. Johnson, Sara Pauli, Larry Poplawski, Dolores Ryan, Linda A. Transou, and Ken Ulrey

First Year Career Development Awards

Dr. Paul Antony – Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore): The Brenda MacDonald Melanoma Foundation Award

Dr. Susanne Schlisio – Dan Farber Cancer Institute: Award in Memory of Don Aronow

Dr. Soheil Dadras – Stanford University: The Two Faced Cosmetics’ Love Lisa Award

Dr. Karen Taraszka Hastings – University of Arizona: Award In Honor of Kelly’s Dream and The New Jersey Miles for Melanoma Walk

Dr. William Kim – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Award in Honor of Balmoral Turkey Trot, Cincinnati Miles for Melanoma Teams, Full Spectrum Dermatology, Dan & Pam Howard, and Dean Packer

First Year Established Investigator Awards

Dr. Edward DeFabo – The George Washington University (Washington DC): The Diana Ashby Award In Memory of Danny Federici of the E Street Band

Dr. Boris C. Bastian – University of California, San Francisco: The Susan Fazio Melanoma Research Foundation Award

Dr. Patrick Hwu – MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston): Award in Memory of James Robbins

Donor Designated Grant

Dr. Jedd Wolchuk – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: The Sohn Foundation Award

Dr. Leskinski’s project is titled: The Role of Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS) in Mediating the Anti-Tumor Properties of Interferon-alpha (IFN-?). [Below is] a summary of his research project.

Sandy, we are indebted to you, your family, and friends for making this first-year grant in George Madzia’s memory possible. Thank you from all of us.

Bill Marsch
The Melanoma Research Foundation

Award in Memory of Brian Anderson, Tom Butler, Dr. R. Scott Heath, George Madzia, Karl Osterlof, Bruce Schocken, Bob Whitman, and George A. Wilkins

Interferon-alpha (IFN-?) is a hormone made naturally by the body that can help the immune system recognize developing tumors. Synthetic IFN-? is also used as a treatment for patients with melanoma. In a small subset of patients, IFN-? can cure or control this disease, however the precise way it does this is not understood. IFN-? works against melanoma by making white blood cells of the immune system more effective at killing tumor cells. However, there is no way to predict if this drug will work in every person. Doctors often give IFN-? at very high doses, and because of this, toxic side effects can occur, and patients stop taking this medicine early. IFN-? works by binding to a receptor on the outside of a cell, and causes a “domino-like” effect to other proteins inside the cell. This domino effect caused by IFN-? can be stopped by a group of proteins called the Suppressors Of Cytokine Signaling or “SOCS,” that act as brakes to stop the IFN-? signal. We think that SOCS proteins are making cancer patients respond less to IFN-? by stopping the effects of this drug on white blood cells.

We have shown for the first time that IFN-? can cure melanoma in mice that lack a protein called SOCS1 (SOCS1 KO mice). Based on experiments done in our laboratory, we expect that two types of white blood cells (called CD8 T cells and dendritic cells) are important for curing SOCS1 KO mice with IFN-?. In our studies, SOCS1 KO mice with melanoma will be depleted of certain types of white blood cells and treated with IFN-?. These experiments will allow us to prove the specific cell type that is needed to cure SOCS1 KO mice with IFN-?. We will also be interested in testing what exactly is different about white blood cells from mice without SOCS1. For example, we will determine whether they are better at directly killing melanoma cells, or whether they make other proteins that increase the overall activity of the immune system against melanoma. We will also give normal mice melanoma and then transfer different types of white blood cells lacking SOCS1 into these mice before treating with IFN-?. Our goal is to figure out exactly how IFN-? cures melanoma in mice that do not have SOCS1. We believe this knowledge could be used to help the immune system of patients recognize and eliminate melanoma tumors.

We very much appreciate your support of the Madzia Family at the September 17th fundraiser on behalf of the Melanoma Research Foundation. We appreciate your partnership with us and our national efforts ro raise money for melanoma research.

Our priority message must be: Every hour of every day, someone dies of melanoma in the United States. Melanoma strikes people of all ages, all races, all economic levels and both sexes. It is the most common cancer for women 25-29 and the second most common cancer for women 30-34. The incidence of melanoma is increasing faster than any other cancer. Today, an American’s lifetime risk of developing melanoma is one in 75; by 2010, is expected to be one in 50.

We know that the medical and research challenges facing the melanoma community are many, but the opportunities available to the Melanoma Research Foundation to make significant and meaningful differences are greater. Our mission is clear – research, education and advocacy. With your support, you are helping us make a difference.

This past year the Madzia Family raised money to co-sponsor a research grant for Dr. Mikhail Nikiforov at the University of Michigan, in memory of George Madzia. We plan to continue Dr. Nikiforov’s second year grant with your 2006 support.

Many thanks from MRF, the melanoma community, and the Madzia Family.

Sincerely,

William R. Marsch
Program Director