Stand Up To Cancer and Genentech Join Forces through "Be the Breakthrough" Campaign

NEW YORK, May 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and Genentech announced their latest collaboration "Be the Breakthrough", a multi-faceted campaign focused on educating Americans on how they can each play a role in the fight against cancer, including screening and participating in clinical trials.

As a result of a deeper understanding of cancer, innovative new treatments, and greater awareness of prevention and screening, deaths from cancer have decreased by more than 20 percent in the last 25 years. This progress has been made possible due to the perseverance of committed scientists who have worked to achieve breakthrough discoveries, the compassionate doctors and nurses who tirelessly provide care to improve lives, and the brave patients who participate in clinical trials to bring new medicines forward. SU2C and Genentech are committed to accelerating this momentum through their collaborations.

"Stand Up To Cancer has made incredible progress in advancing cancer research, and we are proud to further our collaboration with the hope that together we can have a significant impact on all those affected by cancer," said Troy Cox, senior vice president, BioOncology at Genentech. "By recognizing the people and teams behind the breakthroughs made in the history of cancer, we want to empower everyone to play a role in the fight until cancer is no more."

"Be The Breakthrough" will work to raise awareness among the public about the important role regular screenings and participation in clinical trials play in fighting cancer and also celebrate the individuals who have made major contributions to the field.

"Genentech is a valued collaborator who has long supported SU2C's distinctive model of research," stated Stand Up To Cancer Co-founder Lisa Paulsen, president and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. "Not only has Genentech provided financial resources to conduct our translational research, but with 'Be the Breakthrough', we hope to markedly increase participation of patients in clinical trials which are so essential to move science forward and bring new benefits to cancer patients."

The multi-year collaboration with Genentech will engage the public in dynamic ways in order to continue to make big strides in the national effort to defeat cancer. "Be the Breakthrough" will activate collaborators across the entire cancer research effort, from doctors and researchers, to nurses, to patients and their loved ones through a vibrant social media campaign as well as public service announcements.

In addition to "Be the Breakthrough", Genentech is also a collaborator in Catalyst, a new program that will use funding and materials from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostic and medical devices industries to accelerate research on cancer prevention, detection and treatment.

About Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a program 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 cancer prevention as well as 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, PhD, 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.

Current members of the SU2C Council of Founders and Advisors (CFA) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, Ellen Ziffren, and Kathleen Lobb. The late Laura Ziskin was also a co-founder.  SU2C was formally launched on May 27, 2008. Sung Poblete, Ph.D., R.N., has served as SU2C's president since 2011.

For more information on Stand Up To Cancer, visit www.standup2cancer.org.

About Genentech
Founded 40 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.

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SOURCE Stand Up To Cancer