What is it?
Hi! I'm Jason -- I have the priviledge of being part of an intrepid team raising $1M to support innovative cancer research from early career investigators as part of the Timmerman Traverse with the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. We will be raising money and adventuring to summit Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, at 19,340 feet to highlight and raise awareness for this worthy cause.
Why does this matter?
My motivations are personal -- here's why in detail-- below is a summary...
Supporting the best and the brightest early in their scientific careers is fundamental to the advancement of transformative science, but it is on the decline. The National Institute of Health has reported that the percent of grants going to young investigators has been steadily decreasing for decades (see the blue line in the chart)
Innovative research often starts early...with bold new ideas from young scientists. Since 1946, Damon Runyon has provided funding for over 4,000 young scientists who have gone on to win:
- 13 Nobel Prizes
- 7 National Medals of Science, the nation’s highest scientific honor
- 97 elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the science “Hall of Fame”
and have been at the center of cancer breakthroughs for 75 years, for example
- identifying the link between cancer and smoking
- demonstrating the potential of immunotherapies and CAR-T cell therapies and CAR T- cell therapies
I was an early researcher myself completing my PhD at the Moores Cancer Center at UCSD and have been priviledged to experience a time of extraordinary advances in cancer research, from early detection and screening to genetic engineering, CRISPR, and cell therapies that have the potential to cure. It's a truly amazing time.
Please Join Us by Donating and Showing Your Support Today!
Click the links below to learn more about the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and the work they are doing!