The Entertainment Community Teams with Broadcasters for Major Fundraising Telecast Friday, September 5, 2014Funds Raised to Finance New Canadian Dream Teams for Cancer Research, and Awareness and Education in Canada
Stand Up To Cancer Canada’s Distinctive Research Model Designed to Bring Research Innovations to Patients Sooner
Public Will Have Opportunity to Support Through the September 5th Telecast and Beyond
SU2C Canada Pursuing Collaborations with Canadian Health Charities, Government-Funded Organizations and Corporations; World-Renowned Researchers Will Lead Scientific Advisory Committee for SU2C Canada
TORONTO – July 9, 2014 – All four of Canada’s English language network broadcasters today announced an unprecedented collaboration, unveiling plans to simultaneously air, for the first time ever, a Canadian-inclusive Stand Up To Cancer special this September. CBC, City, CTV and Global will join ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and dozens of U.S. cable channels simultaneously airing a star-studded special from Hollywood, and for the first time, Toronto. The live, one-hour fundraising event, which draws on the entertainment community to rally the public around ending cancer’s reign as a leading cause of death, will air commercial-free simultaneously Friday, September 5 at 8 pm ET/PT.
The 2014 SU2C telecast will be the first of its kind for Canada. Similar specials have aired in 2008, 2010 and 2012 under the aegis of the U.S.-based SU2C program, part of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a U.S. 501(c)(3) charitable organization, which utilizes the industry’s resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to increase awareness about progress being made in the fight against the disease.
EIF Canada, a Canadian registered charity, was created to utilize the entertainment industry’s resources via Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada) to engage the Canadian public, health charities, government-funded agencies and corporations in these efforts. EIF Canada’s charitable registration number is 80550 6730 RR0001.
“Everyone in our country has been touched by cancer in some way, shape or form. Our hope is that, through this one hour of television, we can inspire viewers to make a true difference in the effort to help more cancer patients become survivors,” said David Purdy, SVP, Product Management Video & Content, Rogers and EIF Canada Board Member.
Two out of five Canadians are expected to develop cancer in their lifetimes. Every hour of every day, an estimated 22 Canadians will be diagnosed with some type of cancer, and nine people will die from the disease. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada.
“As broadcasters, we have a responsibility to use the power of television to effect change so we jumped at the opportunity to come together with our colleagues for this incredibly worthy cause. This dynamic hour of television is an important step in the fight to beat a disease that has touched so many Canadians,” said Phil Piazza, Vice President, Content Acquisitions and Global TV Programming and EIF Canada Board Member.
“CTV is honoured to be a broadcast partner in this landmark Canadian initiative,” said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks and EIF Canada Board Member. “Together with our Network partners we can showcase the incredible progress being made today in cancer research, and hopefully raise funds to fuel even more ground-breaking progress right here in Canada.”
All funds received from the Canadian general public during the broadcast will be directed towards the creation of collaborative research teams, as well as education and awareness programs conducted in Canada. Several major Canadian organizations plan to collaborate with SU2C Canada on research and awareness efforts.
Organizations pursuing potential collaborations with the SU2C Canada initiative include the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, with funding from CIBC; the Canadian Cancer Society; the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium, with funding from Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. MasterCard and AstraZeneca Canada are the first Canadian corporate supporters of SU2C Canada. Talks with other companies, prospective non-profit partners and philanthropists in Canada are also underway.
“CBC is privileged to participate in an event that encourages our country to band together to fight this disease, which affects so many Canadians,” said Sally Catto, General Manager of Programming, CBC Television. “We are inspired by the opportunity to join forces with the Canadian entertainment industry to send a message of hope.”
The telecast will feature cutaways to a live event in Toronto attended by film stars participating in the Toronto International Film Festival; executives and on-air talent from the Canadian broadcasters; and leaders from health charities, government-funded organizations and corporations.
Stand Up To Cancer builds broad support for cancer prevention and groundbreaking “translational” research, accelerating the pace at which new therapies get to patients, bringing together scientists from different disciplines and institutions to collaborate on Dream Teams. More than $260 million has been pledged to the U.S.-based SU2C initiative since it was founded in the United States in 2008. SU2C U.S. currently supports 12 Dream Teams with members in six countries, including more than 30 Canadian investigators. In connection with the U.S. SU2C telecasts, $100 million was pledged in 2008, $80 million in 2010, and $81 million in 2012.
“We are delighted that the major Canadian broadcasters are uniting to launch Stand Up To Cancer Canada and will be co-broadcasting for Canadian viewers. Funds raised from the Canadian public through the show, as well as those we’re working to secure from collaborations with some of Canada’s leading research funding and advocacy groups, will go to support SU2C Canada Dream Teams. That, in turn, will benefit cancer patients throughout Canada and elsewhere, helping deliver promising new treatments quickly,” said Lisa Paulsen, EIF Canada Board Member and President & CEO of The Entertainment Industry Foundation.
“For the breast cancer community – raising awareness, working in teams, and supporting the best research – it’s all about standing up to breast cancer,” says Sandra Palmaro, Co-CEO, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. “With continued support and commitment from CIBC, we are very excited for the opportunity to accelerate breast cancer research and improve outcomes for women and men who have experienced breast cancer.”
“Cancer patients are fighting for their lives. Every moment, every day, every week counts,” said Pamela Fralick, president and CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society. “What we want is better answers, faster. The SU2C model is one way of speeding up the clock on research and finding solutions. That really resonates with the average Canadian or American contending with cancer or helping a loved one who is dealing with it.”
“All of the Canadian organizations that are pursuing collaborations with SU2C Canada are bound by a common goal to make a difference in the fight against cancer. I believe that working as a truly integrated research effort, we can spur more innovation that will provide added benefit to Canadian patients soon,” said Dr. Tom Hudson, President and Scientific Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR).
“Canadian cancer researchers are world-leading in this complex field and have made significant scientific contributions resulting in improved outcomes for cancer patients. We hope to forge a new collaboration that will build on past investments and expedite health solutions for Canadians and others affected by cancer worldwide,” said Dr. Pierre Meulien, Chair of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium and President and CEO of Genome Canada.
“As the leading cause of death among Canadians, cancer has touched all of us in some way,” said Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to supporting health research projects that will help prevent cancer, reduce cancer-related deaths and improve the lives of patients living with this disease.”
Serving as executive producers of the September 5th telecast are Emmy® Award-winning producer Joel Gallen, president of Tenth Planet Productions, and Oscar®-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Gallen and Paltrow will be joined by the in-house Production Team for the U.S.-based SU2C initiative in planning the show’s content.
Illustrating the remarkable progress being made by SU2C research through profiles of patients who’ve benefitted from it is a defining feature of the telecast. Plans for this year’s show will include the story of a Canadian patient currently benefitting from one of the U.S.-based SU2C program’s clinical trials.
The Canadian Cancer Society will work with SU2C Canada on developing content, including statistics about cancer’s impact in this country, that will scroll on the “lower third” of the screen for the broadcast. The lower third will also show a Canada-specific toll-free phone number and web address for donations, and information about Canadian scientists currently funded on Dream Teams in the existing U.S.-based program and SU2C-funded research underway at institutions including the BC Cancer Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, McMaster University and the University of British Columbia.
A call for ideas for research proposals will be issued by SU2C Canada after the telecast. The proposals will be reviewed by the SU2C Canada Scientific Advisory Committee, which will be composed of leading researchers and co-chaired by Alan Bernstein, O.C., Ph.D., FRSC, President and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), and Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT.
“I am very pleased to join Dr. Sharp to put together an outstanding team of cancer experts that will help launch in Canada a collaborative approach to cancer research with an emphasis on working across institutional lines to deliver new treatments and prevention paradigms in an accelerated timeframe,” said Bernstein.
“Cancer is an extremely difficult and complex problem. The Dream Team approach, in which outstanding researchers work together in a collaborative manner, is our best opportunity to move promising treatments from ‘bench to beside’ as quickly as possible and benefit the patients who need them so desperately,” said Sharp.
Dream Team Concept and Successes of the US-Based SU2C Initiative
A distinctive feature of SU2C-funded research is the “Dream Team” concept, in which researchers from different universities or other institutions come together to share resources and data and work collaboratively to develop new and innovative therapies for cancer.
The U.S.-based SU2C program has launched 12 Dream Teams, two smaller Translational Research Teams and awarded 26 Innovative Research Grants to early-career investigators conducting high-risk, potentially high-reward research. More than 750 researchers are involved overall, working at 112 institutions in six countries, including Canada. Over 140 clinical trials have been planned, initiated or launched involving more than 5,000 patients.
Researchers supported by the U.S.-based SU2C program are investigating a wide variety of new approaches to various malignancies, including cancers of the breast, ovary, endometrium, lung, prostate, pancreas, and colon; metastatic melanoma; childhood cancers including leukemia and lymphoma; and cancers resulting from human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, among other forms of cancer.
Projects supported by the U.S.-based SU2C initiative have led to approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a new combination treatment for pancreatic cancer, as well as FDA “breakthrough therapy” designation – intended to expedite development of especially promising medicines – for a new breast cancer drug.
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. For more information, visit CBC.ca.
About City
City™ television stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Saskatchewan offer viewers intensely-local, urban-oriented, culturally-diverse television programming. A distinct alternative to other conventional television stations, City engages its viewers with dynamic on-air personalities and delivers an entertaining mix of news, local-interactive formats such as: Breakfast Television and Cityline; as well as local Canadian and US acquired prime time entertainment programming. City is a part of Rogers Broadcasting Limited, a division of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI and NYSE: RCI) which is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. For more information on City stations and programming, visit Citytv.com.
About CTV
CTV is Canada’s #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada’s most-watched television network for the past 13 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada’s premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network’s website at CTV.ca.
About Global
Shaw is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.2 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 19 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY® and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX – SJR.B, NYSE – SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit http://www.shaw.ca
About Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) is the leading community-driven organization in Canada dedicated to creating a future without breast cancer. Its investments in innovative and relevant research and education have led to progress in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. Since 1986, CBCF has been at the forefront of a nationwide movement supporting and advocating for the breast cancer community. For more information, visit http://www.cbcf.org.
About the Canadian Cancer Society
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national, community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer and enhance the quality of life of people living with cancer. The Society provides cancer information, prevention and support programs, advocates for healthier public policy and funds impactful research. Thanks to our donors and volunteers, the Society has the most impact, against the most cancers, in the most communities in Canada. Building on our progress, we are working with Canadians to change cancer forever. For more information, visit http://www.cancer.ca or call our toll-free bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1-888-939-3333 (TTY 1-866-786-3934).
About the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium
The Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) is a not-for-profit corporation that was incorporated in 2007 to coordinate an international strategy for cancer stem cell research and related translational activities. Current Consortium members include: Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Genome Canada, Michael Smith Foundation for Medical Research, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and the Stem Cell Network.
About the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s health research investment agency. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened health care system for Canadians. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,200 health researchers and trainees across Canada. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
About Genome Canada
Genome Canada is a catalyst for developing and applying genomics and genomic-based technologies that create economic and social benefit for Canadians. Genome Canada: connects ideas and people across public and private sectors to find new uses for genomics; invests in large-scale science and technology to fuel innovation; and, translate discoveries into applications, new technologies, societal impacts and solutions across key sectors of national importance, including health, agriculture, forestry, fisheries & aquaculture, energy, mining, and the environment. For more information, visit http://www.genomecanada.ca.
About Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
OICR is an innovative cancer research and development institute dedicated to prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Institute is an independent, not-for-profit corporation, supported by the Government of Ontario. OICR supports more than 1,600 investigators, clinician scientists, research staff and trainees located at its headquarters and in research institutes and academia across the Province of Ontario. OICR has key research efforts underway in small molecules, biologics, stem cells, imaging, genomics, informatics and bio-computing. For more information, please visit the website at http://www.oicr.on.ca.
About MasterCard
MasterCard (NYSE: MA), http://www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. The company operates the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow on Twitter @MasterCardCAnws, or join the discussion on the Cashless Pioneers Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience diseases. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. The company’s Canadian headquarters are located in Mississauga, Ontario.
About the U.S.-Based Stand Up To Cancer Initiative
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. The U.S.-based SU2C program, part of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by film and media leaders who utilize the industry’s resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to increase awareness about progress being made in the fight against the disease. As SU2C’s Scientific Partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., Institute Professor at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conduct rigorous, competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress.
About the Entertainment Industry Foundation
Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that serves as the collective philanthropy for the television and film businesses. EIF has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support programs addressing critical health, education and social issues. For more information, visit http://www.eifoundation.org.
About EIF Canada / Stand Up To Cancer Canada
EIF Canada, a Canadian registered charity (Reg. # 80550 6730 RR0001), founded by the U.S.-based Entertainment Industry Foundation, was established to conduct charitable programs in Canada addressing health and other issues. Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada) is a program of EIF Canada that raises funds to support collaborative research teams, as well as education and awareness programs conducted in Canada.
For more information, please visit http://www.standup2cancer.ca.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Pennant Media Group Ltd.
Kevin Pennant – kp@pennantmediagroup.com
Amira de Vera – amira@pennantmediagroup.com
416-596-2978
Stand Up To Cancer Canada
Jane Rubinstein – jrubinstein@standup2cancer.ca
516-993-0708