Jimmy Smits Joins Stand Up To Cancer In New Public Service Announcement
PSA campaign, supported by charitable donation from Bristol-Myers Squibb, raises awareness about the promising new approach to cancer treatment that uses the body's own immune system to fight the disease
LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) has created a new cancer immunotherapy public service announcement (PSA) campaign, supported by a charitable donation from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and featuring award-winning actor and SU2C Ambassador Jimmy Smits. The print, TV, radio, out-of-home and digital PSAs will begin airing in October.
The PSA, titled "Your Body Your Hope," is aimed at increasing awareness about immunotherapy, a revolutionary new approach to cancer treatment in which a patient's own powerful immune system is harnessed to attack and destroy cancer cells. One of the most exciting and rapidly evolving areas of cancer research, immunotherapy is already being used to effectively treat several forms of cancer, and is being actively researched in additional cancers.
The PSA encourages patients to visit StandUpToCancer.org/immunotherapy to learn more about immunotherapy and start the conversation with their doctor to find out if it is a viable treatment option for them. Jimmy Smits recorded the PSA in both English and Spanish in the hope of reaching a broad audience with this vital information.
"I am proud and honored to join Stand Up To Cancer in this critical initiative," said award-winning actor Jimmy Smits, who guest stars in the new season of "How to Get Away With Murder," the hit TV series. "Immunotherapy is on the cutting edge of cancer treatment and many patients who have been treated with immunotherapy have seen such promising results. Through this PSA, we hope to empower people diagnosed with cancer to ask their doctor if immunotherapy may be the right treatment option for them."
In the English and Spanish language PSA, Smits says immunotherapy "is bringing hope to cancer survivors everywhere. Immunotherapy works by empowering your body's own immune system to correctly identify and eradicate cancer cells. This approach has been used to successfully fight many types of cancers, with new research leading to greater hope each day."
"Immunotherapy is one of the most promising developments in cancer research today," said Stand Up To Cancer President and CEO, Sung Poblete, Ph.D., RN. "We are thrilled to have the support of this Bristol-Myers Squibb charitable donation, and to have the powerful voice of Jimmy Smits to help raise awareness about the increasing role of immunotherapy as a an effective option for cancer treatment."
"As a long-standing supporter of Stand Up To Cancer, we share their commitment to advancing groundbreaking research and collaboration, particularly in the field of Immuno-Oncology," said Johanna Mercier, president and head, U.S. Commercial, Bristol-Myers Squibb. "We are pleased to support their efforts to educate patients and their loved ones about the potential of the body's immune system in finding and fighting cancer."
To learn more or to view the PSA, visit StandUpToCancer.org/immunotherapy. To join the conversation, like us on Facebook @StandUpToCancer or follow us on Twitter at @SU2C and on Instagram at @SU2C
About the 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. SU2C, a division 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 and the late Noreen Fraser are also co-founders. Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, has served as SU2C's president and CEO since 2011.
For more information on Stand Up To Cancer, visit www.standuptocancer.org.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
SOURCE Stand Up To Cancer
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