April 2012
- LRG mourns the loss of a great friend, Jeroen Pit
- GDOL Update: Speakers announced
- LRG Research Team meets in Leuven, Belgium: leaves with renewed energy & commitment to finding the cure for GIST
- Meet our new Montana local rep: Dirk Niebaum
- Cellular origin of GIST from the “good” cells’ perspective
- Alianza GIST meets in Miami
- And they’re off! 1st ‘Harness a Cure’ is a success
- NJ GIST gathering serves up support & smoothies
- NoCal GISTers meet!
- New report finds most hospital errors go unreported
- Happy Cancerversary to Brenda Bannon!
- Thomas G. Overley, 1952-2012: Toledo lawyer played guitar, sang in group
- Durham lived life with passion and pride
- Did You Hear? Did You Know?
- Arizona GISTers meet!
- Spunky Texan fought GIST bravely
- Calendar
Archive
October 2008
A Message from the Executive Director
Following our most successful Life Fest Meeting ever, we are taking a one month break from our regular newsletter schedule and will be back at full capacity for the November issue. Despite never-ending rains flooding much of Chicago, prompting sandbagging of the hotel perimeter and a number of last minute speaker cancellations due to Hurricane Ike, a record number of GIST patients and family members were treated to over 15 expert presentations and to the incredible comradery created by countless hugs and support. We have begun placing presentations on our website and will have more to say in our next newsletter.
Looking Beyond Life Fest
The Life Raft Group approach to research is unique. Our effort to find a cure for GIST is the only one that is built upon a coordinated team effort to implement a plan of action. Our newly expanded research team will be meeting in Portland Oregon on October 28. This is truly a dream team of ten of the world’s best GIST researchers from eight of the world’s most prestigious institutions located on two continents. We continue to make great progress within the lab to identify and overcome the reasons for GIST treatment resistance and have begun building the translational links to develop the most likely compounds and to test the drugs most likely to benefit patients within the foundation of a clinical trial consortium that we intend to create. We continue to make two year commitments to ensure the continuity of our research efforts and to cap the administrative overhead paid by our grant awards at 10 percent, as contrasted with the usual 70 to 75 percent.
Our forthcoming holiday fundraising campaign will turn to each of you for support. We hope that those reading this brief article will agree that donating to the LRG research effort provides the best hope for GIST patient survival.
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