Baseball Teams and Cyclists Cooperate to Raise Money for Cancer Research

Proceeds will fund groundbreaking science at Salk Institute and three other organizations. The Scientific Research and Biological Studies campus was constructed by American architect Louis Kahn who is regarded as one of the great master builders of the Twentieth Century. In 1962, he created Salk Institute for Scientific studies in La Jolla, California. This impressive campus is nicknamed "architecture of silence and light."

San Diego Padres "Pedal the Cause", has donated more than $2,401,523 to support cancer studies at the Salk Institute, Rady Children’s Hospital, Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.

The check was presented to representatives from the four organizations on January 24 and was the largest donation ever made by the grassroots organization. Hundreds of cyclists participated in the Fifth Annual Pedal the Cause, which was held in November 2017 at Petco Park. The Salk Institute team featured 18 rides and raised nearly $25,000. Proceeds from the event support innovative cancer projects with a major emphasis on collaborative, transnational research that offers a clear path to clinical trials.

"Funding from Padres Pedal the Cause, is already having a big impact on our ability to understand cancer and exploit its vulnerabilities," says Reuben Shaw, director of Salk Institute Cancer Center. "These resources mean cancer researchers at Salk collaborate with clinicians and researchers at UCSD Moores on new therapies and new insights to develop treatments of the future to root out this horrific disease." For the past five years, Salk has been a major partner with Pedal the Cause, on both fundraising and research aspects.

"We are fortunate to have such a strong relationship with the Salk Institute," says Pedal the Cause Executive Director Ann Marchand. "In addition to the work they do every day in the lab to advance cancer research in San Diego, they lead by example in supporting Padres Pedal with a dedicated team of riders and volunteers. We look forward to continuing to partner with Team Salk for years to come."

For researchers at Salk, and around San Diego’s life sciences hub—the Torrey Pines Mesa—this funding will support ongoing efforts to illuminate the basic biology that drives cancer and translate those findings into new therapies. To date, Padres Pedal the Cause has raised more than $7 Million to fund 31 cancer research projects. One of these is Salk Assistant Professor Graham McVicker’s work on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer.

Many ALL patients relapse after their initial treatment, leaving them with few therapeutic options. McVicker is collaborating with other labs to perform whole-genome sequencing on ALL tumors to identify the genetic underpinning that can lead to relapse and find new targets for treatment.

"The research grant has helped my lab and the Dixon lab at the Salk Institute catalyze a new collaborative project to study Pediatric leukemia with Dennis Kuo at Rady Children’s Hospital," says McVicker. "This is our first time working on a project together, and we are excited about the potential to make new discoveries."

About the Salk Institute Cancer Center

The Cancer Center at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies was established in 1970, and two years later, the Salk Institute Cancer Center became one of the first National Cancer Institute (NCI)—designated basic research cancer centers in the United States.

This designation recognizes the Institute’s Scientific rigor across its laboratory research, scientific discoveries and therapeutic cures. The Salk Institute Cancer Center's Reuben Shaw comprises half of the research at the Salk Institute and includes 32 faculty members, 199 postdoctoral researchers, 41 graduate students, and 101 research assistant.

About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Every cure has a starting point. The Salk Institute embodies Jonas Salk’s mission to dare to make dreams, into reality. It’s internationally renowned and award-winning. Scientists explore the very foundation of life, seeking new understandings in neuroscience, genetics, immunology, plant biology, and more.

Salk is an independent, nonprofit organization and architectural landmark; small by choice, intimate by nature and fearless in the face of any challenge. Be it cancer or Alzheimer’s, aging or diabetes, Salk is where cures begin!