Live and in person, U-M cancer researchers will be donating their time on the job June 7 to get a day closer to a cure for cancer. Faculty, staff and the general public are invited to learn what they do and see them in action.
The One Day Closer public event is presented from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Building 18 at the North Campus Research Complex. Scientists working with U-M’s Translational Oncology Program (TOP), the event presenter, will donate their time from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
“The overarching goal of the program is to improve outcomes for cancer patients,” says Dr. Erika Adams Newman. She is an assistant professor in pediatric surgery, surgical director for the C.S Mott Children’s Hospital Solid Tumor Oncology Program and a scientist in TOP and at the U-M medical school.
At One Day Closer, seminars, tours and learning stations will be presented, and members of the public will be able to hear from pre-eminent researchers.
“The overall goal is to let people know about the groundbreaking cancer research that is going on at the University of Michigan,” says Ashley Harris, TOP scientist and research lab specialist associate. “We’ll be doing the research we normally do, but we’ll be getting together on a Saturday donating time, so the general public can see what research looks like.”
Cancer remains the No. 2 cause of disease-related mortality in the United States and worldwide. Researchers are now able to characterize and understand the fundamental molecular underpinnings that drive cancer, the TOP reports.
Molecular analysis of tumors has revealed significant variation in the pathways that drive tumor growth and metastasis. This allows scientists to draw a more accurate roadmap of the nuances of cancer and its progression. Today’s drug development efforts use this map to focus on targeted therapies that tackle cancer specific events with greater precision.
Harris says one goal of the event is to demystify what researchers do. Interdisciplinary TOP researchers study different kinds of cancers from different angles.
“We hope the public will see we’re just like them. We all have been affected by cancer personally, and we’ll do whatever it takes to get closer to a cure,” she says.
Registration and a fee are required. Lunch and a T-shirt are offered to advance registrants. Register at onedaycloser.eventbrite.com, call 734-615-8685, or go to facebook.com/onedayclosertoacure.
