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Honors and AwardsFebruary 12, 2024

2024 Timmerman Traverse raises over $1M for cancer research by summiting Kilimanjaro

On Saturday, February 10, 2024, an intrepid team of twenty scientific luminaries led by biotech journalist and mountaineer Luke Timmerman embarked upon the trip of a lifetime—a hike to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the African continent’s highest peak. In advance of the expedition, the team trained for hiking at more than 19,000 feet above sea level, enlisted the support of friends and colleagues, and together raised more than $1 million to support Damon Runyon’s brave and bold cancer researchers.

Honors and AwardsFebruary 1, 2024

Inaugural class of Damon Runyon–St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Research Fellows announced

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital today announce the inaugural class of pediatric cancer research fellows. Each of the five fellows will receive funding for four years ($300,000 total) to support an innovative project in basic or translational research with the potential to significantly impact the diagnosis or treatment of one or more pediatric cancers.

New DiscoveriesJanuary 19, 2024

How one enzyme has created a third of the human genome

Only about one percent of the human genome contains what we recognize as protein-coding genes: DNA sequences that are transcribed into RNA sequences and then translated into proteins. Much of the intervening space between genes consists of mobile DNA sequences, known as transposable elements, which have the ability to “copy and paste” themselves throughout the genome.

New DiscoveriesJanuary 12, 2024

Predicting treatment response in pancreatic cancer

Metastatic pancreatic cancer is often resistant to chemotherapy-based treatments, and clinicians do not currently have a good way to predict whether a patient’s cancer will respond or not. At the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, former Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator Gregory L. Beatty, MD, PhD, and his colleagues are seeking to uncover the factors that determine response so that patients and clinicians can make better informed treatment decisions.

EventJanuary 1, 2024

Runyon 5K at Yankee Stadium

One of New York City’s most unique events, the Runyon 5K is a charitable run/walk that uses Yankee Stadium as its course. 100% of donations raised by participants directly support innovative young scientists funded by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

Unfortunately, the Runyon 5K will not take place in 2024. Thank you to all our loyal participants, volunteers, and donors for supporting brave and bold scientists who continue to make breakthroughs in every area of cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Honors and AwardsDecember 14, 2023

Damon Runyon launches post-baccalaureate research internship

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation is thrilled to announce the launch of the Damon Runyon Scholars Program for Advancing Research and Knowledge (SPARK), a one-year intensive cancer research internship program for post-baccalaureate students who come from backgrounds underrepresented in the sciences. The goal of the program is to provide students who have the potential to become leaders in cancer research with rigorous scientific training and a network of mentors and peers to support their next steps into graduate school and beyond.

EventOctober 30, 2023

Fall Theater Benefit

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation's Fall Theater Benefit was held on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, and featured a performance of Thornton Wilder‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, Our Town, starring four-time Emmy Award winner Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes.

New DiscoveriesOctober 25, 2023

New DNA sequencing method shows how breast cancer becomes invasive

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive form of breast cancer found in the milk ducts, is a precursor to invasive breast cancer, but until recently, its progression has remained enigmatic. This is partly because standard methods of preserving tissue—as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples—have made single-cell genetic analysis difficult.

Honors and AwardsOctober 24, 2023

Five Damon Runyon alumni elected to the National Academy of Medicine

The National Academy of Medicine provides independent, evidence-based scientific advice to address national and global health challenges. Membership is considered to be one of the highest honors in the medical field and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. This year, five Damon Runyon alumni were nominated for membership, bringing the total number of Damon Runyon scientists in the organization to 46.

Honors and AwardsOctober 20, 2023

Qinheng Zheng, PhD, receives 2023 Damon Runyon-Jake Wetchler Award

Each year, the Damon Runyon-Jake Wetchler Award for Pediatric Innovation is given to a third-year Damon Runyon Fellow whose research has the greatest potential to impact the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of pediatric cancer. This year, the award recognizes the work of Qinheng Zheng, PhD, a Damon Runyon-Connie and Bob Lurie Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco.