Understanding early events taking place during the development of oral cancer is critical to arresting the progression of the disease. To spotlight Oral Cancer Awareness Month, ICRF Project Grant recipient Avi-Hai Hovav, PhD, and his postdoctoral student, Yasmin Saba, both of the Hebrew University, discuss their research on special cells in the immune system with the goal of developing a novel approach to early diagnosis of oral cancer.

Dr. Ari Rosenberg is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncologist at the University of Chicago, with a specialty in head and neck cancer. He also serves on ICRF Chicago's Medical Advisory Panel, providing strategic input into furthering the mission of ICRF.

Investigators at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, led by Professor Moshe Elkabets, have discovered a potential treatment combination, giving renewed hope to head and neck cancer patients. This research, which was supported by ICRF, was published in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer last month, and shows that the treatment reduces the proliferation of tumor cells while activating and strengthening the immune system.

National Cancer Control Month, also in April, is defined as raising awareness for cancer prevention and treatment. Two ICRF-funded scientists, Professors Sol Efroni and Lucio Frydman, are dedicating their research to finding new techniques for diagnosing cancer.

Eighty percent of ovarian cancers are detected in the late stages of the disease and are associated with high mortality rates. Sol Efroni, PhD, of Bar-Ilan University, an ICRF grant recipient of The Len & Susan Mark Initiative for Ovarian and Uterine/MMMT Cancers, has developed a platform to capture the behavior of the immune system from a simple blood sample. He is now hoping to apply his findings to samples from ovarian cancer patients, with the aim of achieving early detection of ovarian cancer and treating patients surgically at an earlier stage of the disease.

Lucio Frydman, PhD, an ICRF Acceleration Grant recipient at the Weizmann Institute of Science, has been studying magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy, an imaging technique that enables researchers to characterize the molecular structure and behavior of cells with unprecedented precision, in order to shed new light on the molecular interactions governing a wide range of biological, chemical, and physical processes. He is currently exploring a new, non-invasive, radiation-free screening technique, using MRI, to diagnose prostate and pancreatic cancers on animal models at different stages of growth and treatment. If successful, these tests can be extended to the early diagnosis and assessment of other kinds of cancer.

Team ICRF, a dedicated team of ten runners, was an official Charity Partner at the NYC United Airlines Half Marathon in March, raising over $47,000 for cancer research. Kudos to the dedicated runners - Jen Goldman, Elad Morad, David Frankel, Zach and Lauren Bloomgarden, Hilly Haber, Jacob Portnoy, Wendy Kraiem, Michele Shamie and Alan Herman who exceeded their team fundraising goal by 88 percent, in support of cutting edge research in Israel.

Alan Herman, New York Executive Director of ICRF, shared his feelings at the finish line: "Being part of Team ICRF surpassed my expectations both personally and professionally. The NYC Half Marathon was my first major run since my cancer diagnosis several years ago. The devotion and commitment of this team will inspire me for years to come."

Following the success of the Half Marathon, ICRF has just been accepted as an Official Charity Partner of this year's TCS New York City Marathon on November 6. Team ICRF has a limited amount of guaranteed charity numbers. Please contact Alan Herman, alan.herman@icrfonline.org for more information.

ICRF Chicago will be hosting a marvelous fashion show of spring-summer collections at Neiman Marcus in Northbrook, IL to raise money for groundbreaking cancer research in Israel. Beginning at 5:00 p.m. with early shopping, followed by appetizers, and a fashion show and program at 7:00 p.m. Special guest speaker is Grace Lombardo, a 2016 breast cancer survivor who is currently in her second battle with the disease. After her initial diagnosis, Lombardo began writing a blog #Grancer (Grace+cancer=Grancer) about her experience that has garnered more than 550k viewers and has helped women and their families around the world confront their diagnosis. 

For more information, please visit our website or contact Chicago Executive Director, Allyson Marks Greenfield, allyson.marksgreenfield@icrfonline.org.  

This year marks ICRF Toronto's 20th Anniversary Women of Action celebration. Joan Garson, Dr. Anna Goldenberg, Holly Miklas and Michelle Roth will be honored for their accomplishments in science, business, and philanthropy on May 15, 11:30 am at Oakdale Golf & Country Club. Special guest speaker will be Shani Azulai, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Israel in Toronto.

Getting ready for warmer weather? Whether you're looking for your next beach read or just the perfect thing for your patio, if you're shopping on Amazon, you can support ICRF by using AmazonSmile.

Generate donations for innovative cancer research in Israel at no extra cost to you as you shop!