SU2C, More Info

In Oncology Times, my AHCJ colleague Eric Rosenthal wrote the article:

After Hollywood "Stand Up to Cancer" TV Event, It's Now up to AACR to Field Science "Dream Teams" to Move Beyond Hope & Awareness.

Some excerpts and paraphrases....

"Sherry Lansing, one of SU2C's [Stand Up to Cancer] founders and Chair of the Board of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the hour was supposed to lead to a "tipping point" that would foster a movement focusing public attention on making cancer research a national priority by enlisting new funding sources that could spur translational teams and innovative ideas leading to faster, safer, and more effective clinical treatments for patients during a time of decreased federal funding. The hope was also that the National Cancer Institute might take note and modify its funding model."

• 10.3 million viewers watched.

Making the case to the public about the importance of caring about and contributing to the cancer cause:

• more than 60 entertainment and sports celebrities

• the three network anchors, Katie Couric, Charles Gibson, and Brian Williams
  

Major donations:

• Sidney Kimmel ($25 million)

• Major League Baseball ($10 million)

• the Wallis Anneberg & the Anneberg Foundation

• AARP

• Bloomberg Philanthropies

• Revlon

• Amgen

• Glaxo-Smith Kline (GSK)

• Inter-American Development Bank
  

"However, through various sources requesting anonymity, Oncology Times learned that both GSK and Amgen had each contributed $10 million and that the amount raised from the public was probably less than 25% of the total."

How the money is to be used:

• 70% -- "Dream Teams," multi-institutional and interdisciplinary teams, with no more than one principal coming from a single institution. Team members must dedicate at least 50% of their time and effort to the project.
  

• 20% -- Innovative Research Grants program

• 10% -- "unexpected opportunities"

(Read the whole article at http://oncology-times.com/pt/pt-core/template-journal/oncotimes/media/Rosenthal-StandUpToCancer-OT-Sept252008.pdf)

This multi-network event, Stand Up 2 Cancer, was criticized as "journalists glad-handing a cause," and lacked scientific evidence in some of its presentation. (See my blog entry at http://pod08.prospero.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=KDKA_DrMaria from a ways back on this.) Reading a bit more about the origins and intent for this fundraiser -- what do you think about it? Did you even see it? Would an event like that motivate you to donate money?