Thank you for considering a gift to the AACR Foundation for the Prevention and Cure of Cancer - the philanthropic arm of the AACR.
By supporting the Foundation, there are many ways you can be part of the groundbreaking discoveries in cancer research and treatment. Please take some time to explore the types of giving supported by the AACR Foundation.
The AACR Foundation directs 88 cents of every dollar you donate to where it is needed most: scientists who are making the most important discoveries in the fight against cancer.
AACR Foundation greatly appreciates our generous contributors, and provides special recognition and donor benefits to demonstrate our thanks to you.
For more information, please contact us.
SPOTLIGHT
A Story of Philanthropy
The gift from the Sehl Family is a wonderful example of how the AACR ensures your donation works the hardest for cancer cures.
George Sehl and daughter Mary
Gift Creates Fellowship in Cancer Genetics
George S. Sehl, D.O., was personally touched by cancer when his beloved uncle died of colon cancer, followed by the loss of his father-in-law to esophageal cancer. It was then that he chose to make a generous gift to the AACR.
Sehl said he was drawn to AACR's status as "the foremost organization for cancer research, and by the high percentage of its donations allocated towards the advancement of cancer research."
A native of the Philadelphia area, Sehl graduated from Temple University in 1959, and earned his D.O. from Midwestern University in Chicago. He practiced medicine in Michigan and, since 1985, in Rhode Island.
Throughout his successful medical career, Sehl cared for many cancer patients. This past year, he and his wife Patricia were discussing ways to use their personal philanthropy to promote progress against cancer; their daughter Mary Sehl, M.D., currently an oncology fellow at UCLA, suggested giving to the AACR.
The Sehl family will play a major role in the advancement of cancer research by funding a two-year fellowship to advance the field of cancer genetics, specifically as it relates to the prevention and treatment of cancer.
2008-2010 AACR-George and Patricia Sehl Fellowship Award
Almost two years ago researchers made a revolutionary discovery: the most aggressive ovarian tumors actually spawn in the Fallopian tubes, not in the ovaries themselves.
Keren Levanon, M.D., Ph.D.
This finding is the basis for the research project conducted by Keren Levanon, M.D., Ph.D., the 2008-2010 AACR-George and Patricia Sehl Fellow, at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer, taking the lives of about 20,000 American women in 2007.
Two things have prevented significant improvement in the hope for survival after diagnosis: there is no effective method of early detection, and despite decades of research, scientists still do not understand the underlying biology of this disease.
Dr. Levanon's research focuses on identifying the genetic changes that trigger tumor growth and possible biological indicators, called "biomarkers."
This could lead to accurate early detection through a blood test or other non-invasive means, offering real hope for saving mothers, daughters, and wives through better detection, treatment, and prevention of ovarian cancer.