On a beautiful September Sunday, hundreds of bicyclists pedaled the roads of eastern Dane County on The Ride to raise money for cancer research.
This weekend, their fundraising came home to support cancer research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as scholarships totaling $365,488 were awarded at Friday’s Badger hockey game. Three Biotechnology Training Program (BTP) mentors were among the scientists working in cancer research that received funding.
“We’re grateful to all the riders, donors and volunteers who have enabled us to provide funding for some really innovative cancer research,” says Deric Wheeler, PhD, director of The Ride and associate professor of human oncology at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. “Thanks to our sponsors, all the money raised through The Ride goes to UW cancer researchers and programs to jump-start research projects that could one day lead to better treatments and even save lives.”
The three mentors include David Beebe, professor of biomedical engineering, who conducts research on understanding how cancer cells spread and respond to cancer therapies; Melissa Skala, associate professor of biomedical engineering, who is developing new approaches to harness the immune system to attack breast cancer; and Joshua Coon, professor of chemistry, whose research focuses on developing cutting-edge chemical instrumentation to measure proteins in human cells and tissues to create better targeted therapies.
For more on The Ride and a full list of winners, see this story from the UW–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.