Part of PharmaSUG is giving something back to the community in which our conference is being held. In recent years, we have joined with the Adopt A Classroom program to support local schools, the Search and Rescue Dogs of Colorado, and the graduate program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
This year, we are partnering with Seattle's own Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in their efforts to cure cancer. Specifically, we will be supporting Fred Hutch's annual Obliteride, a bike ride to raise funds to support research to help obliterate cancer.
Dr. Jerry Radich Rides to Cure Cancer Faster
Obliteride raises funds and awareness for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Each August, riders gather to ride their bikes as a community focused on curing cancer faster. Fred Hutch has been the proud home of Nobel-prize winning research, including the development and refinement of bone marrow transplantation. Many organizations focus on education, treatment, research, and survivorship. Fred Hutch seeks and finds cures.
Dr. Jerry Radich, a physician and molecular biologist in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch, is working to make this possible, not only as a researcher, but also as a rider. “It’s what I do. We try to cure cancer,” said Radich, whose lab works on new diagnostic tools for leukemia. “It seems like a pretty easy fit, to encourage people to do something healthy and fun and get money for cancer research at the same time.” Radich’s work has directly benefited from the ride. Dollars raised in the first Obliteride in 2014 funded an early-stage research project to develop low cost diagnostics for the developing world, that is now a major focus of his whole laboratory team, Radich said. Of note, he has ridden the 150 or 100 mile route each Obliteride, and captains the team, Le Tour de Fred.
In their first five years, Obliteride has rallied over 6000 riders, and 50,000 donors who have raised $12 million for cancer research. These funds have supported research in the areas of prostate, breast, ovarian, lung, pediatric and brain cancer, as well as research connecting lifestyle and cancer.
Come August, thousands of riders will come together again as a community to help create the world we all want to live in. A world where cancer is behind us. As the riders train and fundraise throughout the year and ride across the finish line, they remember who they’re riding for; the loved ones who lost their battle, those currently battling, for kids who will be impacted by this disease and all those survivors who are still with us today because of research happening at Fred Hutch. This bike ride is a journey where everyone is riding for the same thing - better treatments, better outcomes, and better lives.
How You Can Help
We invite you to support Fred Hutch Obliteride by making a gift to Dr. Jerry Radich’s Obliteride team. All donations will be directed to cancer curing research at Fred Hutch.