The fifteenth annual Kingston-Quinte TELUS Ride for Dad fundraiser, the Prostate Cancer Fight Foundation’s (PCFF) signature event, will be held in Kingston on Saturday, May 25.
The fifteenth annual Kingston-Quinte TELUS Ride for Dad fundraiser, the Prostate Cancer Fight Foundation’s (PCFF) signature event, will be held in Kingston on Saturday, May 25. The 200KM route will take hundreds of motorcycle riders-for-a-cause on a scenic countryside route.
Since it was established in 2004, the Kingston-Quinte chapter has raised nearly $1,450,000 with more than $700,000 benefiting the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation’s (UHKF) research partners as they investigate better treatment options, and diagnostic tools that may, one day, lead to a cure for prostate cancer.
At this year’s kick-off and cheque presentation, UHKF is pleased to announce that Dr. Katrina Gee, and co-investigator Dr. Andrew Craig—Associate Professors, Queen’s University School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences—will receive a $20,000 grant to further their research into novel therapies for prostate cancer.
“From the riders on the road to the researchers in the lab, the fight is on!” says Dr. Gee, “Our study will investigate how certain small proteins can trigger the killing of prostate cancer cells, which can hide from the body’s immune system. Our goal is to find ways to make cancer cells more visible to our immune cells.” Dr. Gee’s research will investigate the therapeutic potential of a specific killer-protein, interleukin-27 (IL-27), and how it contributes to the death of prostate cancer cells.
“With early detection, prostate cancer has a very high cure rate,” says Brian Sutton, Chair, TELUS Ride for Dad Kingston-Quinte Chapter. “Men should not be dying from this disease. All of the people in this ride want to raise money for research and awareness so that more men can be there for their families and friends for years to come.”
“These Ride for Dad volunteers and participants are among our community’s most spirited advocates for men’s health and the fight against prostate cancer,” says Karen Humphreys Blake, President and CEO, Acting, UHKF, “We’re delighted to see local researchers, like Dr. Gee and Dr. Craig, supported in their efforts.”
According to the PCFF, it is estimated there are 1.2 million men with prostate cancer in Canada, and 800,000 of them don’t know they have it. The PCFF’s “Get it checked!” campaign encourages men to overcome their reluctance to the “blue glove” and get tested so that they can benefit from early diagnosis and successful treatment.