The partnership will boost sarcoma research awareness and support through a special event on May 16 and July 3 with proceeds benefiting the Northwest Sarcoma Foundation.
TUCSON, Ariz., May 9, 2024 — Critical Path Institute (C-Path) is excited to announce a collaboration between Lane United Football Club (LUFC), xCures, and the nonprofit’s CURE Drug Repurposing Collaboratory (CDRC) for the league’s upcoming United Against Cancer games held on May 16 and July 3 to support sarcoma research.
The idea for the collaboration was inspired by hummel®, the Danish sports uniform manufacturer, in honor of LUFC’s sporting director and men’s head coach John Galas. In October of 2023 Galas, who is married to C-Path grants manager Anna Galas, was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare cancer in adults.
“The entire team is proud to partner with xCures and LUFC to provide patient support, ensure treatment for all sarcoma patients, and to remind everyone that there are not any FDA-approved treatments for the majority of the 80 or more different malignant forms of sarcoma,” explained Marco Schito, Ph.D., CDRC Executive Director at C-Path. “This highlights the need for continued funding to explore the effectiveness of existing, often generic, FDA-approved drugs.”
During LUFC’s exhibition game on Thursday, May 16, at Civic Park in Eugene, Oregon, players will don United Against Cancer kits (uniforms) featuring the C-Path and xCures logos, designed by hummel. C-Path, xCures, hummel and LUFC, are sponsoring the production of the ‘United Against Cancer’ kits in support of continued sarcoma research. Announcements will be made throughout the event calling attention to each sponsor and their respective efforts in sarcoma research and support. Jerseys will be available throughout the season for purchase at home games and online. Match-worn player jerseys will also be available via online auction.
Kicking off Sarcoma Awareness Month in July, LUFC will recognize the sponsors’ efforts and present proceeds from the campaign to the Northwest Sarcoma Foundation during halftime of the LUFC vs. Capital FC game in Eugene, Wednesday, July 3.
The Northwest Sarcoma Foundation is a place for support and education for anyone affected by sarcoma in the Pacific Northwest. The foundation also directly funds promising research focused on sarcoma. To make a donation to the LUFC Sarcoma campaign, click here.
For more information about this event checkout Lane United’s Website: United Against Cancer – Lane United FC (laneutd.com)
“When hummel came to us with this great idea and generous offer, I was thrilled,” said Dave Galas, Managing Director of LUFC. “I was really touched when C-Path and xCures joined the effort. After how much cancer has affected our family in the last year, I am truly grateful for the support all our partners have given to help progress treatment and awareness.”
“We are inspired by John Galas’ courage and are committed to driving meaningful progress in his honor, and for everyone affected by this rare disease. Together we hope to raise awareness of sarcoma and help accelerate sarcoma research. Each jersey worn and each dollar raised brings us all closer to new discoveries and therapies that can save lives,” said xCures Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro, MBA, M.A.
“We are extremely proud to be a part of the ‘United Against Cancer’ campaign. At hummel, we’ve seen the power of jerseys and how they can unite a community around a single positive message,” said hummel Pro North America VP Chase Eagan. “Jerseys are so much more than just an on-field component, we want them to act as a visible sign of support for those who are affected by cancer, whether directly themselves or through a close friend or family member.”
About the Supporting Organizations
Critical Path Institute
Critical Path Institute (C-Path) is an independent, nonprofit established in 2005 as a public-private partnership, in response to the FDA’s Critical Path Initiative. C-Path’s mission is to lead collaborations that advance better treatments for people worldwide. Globally recognized as a pioneer in accelerating drug development, C-Path has established numerous international consortia, programs and initiatives that currently include more than 1,600 scientists and representatives from government and regulatory agencies, academia, patient organizations, disease foundations and pharmaceutical and biotech companies. With dedicated team members located throughout the world, C-Path’s global headquarters is in Tucson, Arizona and C-Path’s Europe subsidiary is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. For more information, visit c-path.org.
Critical Path Institute is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is 54% funded by the FDA/HHS, totaling $19,436,549, and 46% funded by non-government source(s), totaling $16,373,368. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, FDA/HHS or the U.S. Government.
Cure Drug Repurposing Collaboratory
C-Path’s CDRC is working on multiple projects with the aim to better understand the current treatments being used for rare and ultra-rare sarcomas. CDRC has two sarcoma projects that are funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence. The first project partners with xCures, an AI-assisted platform that automatically retrieves a participating patient’s medical records from all sites of care. Patients’ medical records and patient information are the best sources to track and measure the success of treatments being used. Taking part in this study may help other sarcoma patients in the future by helping CDRC better understand sarcoma, its symptoms and possible therapies.
CDRC’s second project uses CURE ID, an internet-based repository, that lets the clinical and patient communities report use of drugs for difficult-to-treat diseases through a website, a smartphone or other mobile device. The platform enables the crowdsourcing of medical information from healthcare providers, patients, and care partners to identify existing drugs that may be effective treatments for diseases, like rare cancers, that have unmet needs for those living with them. CURE ID was developed through the collaboration of the FDA and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health. For more information visit the CURE ID website: CURE-ID (ncats.io).
For more information on CDRC sarcoma efforts, visit, https://c-path.org/program/cure-drug-repurposing-collaboratory/.
xCures
xCures was started in 2018 to help Cancer Commons, a patient advocacy organization, retrieve and aggregate medical records from any US care site for their patients. The result was the creation of an AI-assisted platform that automatically gathers, extracts and structures data from medical records within 15 minutes. This offers patients and their physicians a comprehensive view of a patient’s health journey, including test results, scan images, treatments, and doctor visits. The xINFORM portal for patients and xDECIDE for providers help improve care and treatment decisions.
Lane United FC
Lane United FC is a soccer club based in Eugene, Oregon, named for Lane County, where Eugene is located. Founded in 2013, the club currently has men’s and women’s teams playing in USL League Two and USL W League, the fourth tiers of the respective American soccer pyramids. Current Sporting Director and head coach of Lane United’s League Two team is John Galas.
hummel
Headquartered in Denmark, hummel just celebrated its 100th anniversary as a global leader in sportswear apparel and design. Hummel prides itself on changing the world through sport, making sure that its designs, sponsorships, people, teams, and initiatives work to drive change and progress. For more information, visit hummel.net.
Contacts:
Roxan Triolo Olivas
C-Path
520.954.1634
rolivas@c-path.org
Kissy Black
C-Path
615.310.1894
kblack@c-path.org
