VHL Family Alliance Honors Prominent Cancer Researchers with Fundraising Dinner to Fund Future Research

BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The von Hippel-Lindau Family Alliance (VHLFA), the leading resource for von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) and related tumor conditions, is pleased to honor Joyce W. Graff, Founding Executive Director of the VHL Family Alliance and William G. Kaelin, Jr, MD of Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard School of Medicine. The Fundraising Dinner will take place on November 19^th in Brookline, MA  (http://www.vhl.org/patients-caregivers/get-involved/calendar-of-events-and-meetings/2012-fundraising-dinner/).

Ms. Graff is one of the Founders of the VHL Family Alliance which began in 1993 when she and Susan Warnick and Peggy Graham realized the importance of creating a community for patients and families of this genetic form of cancer. Under Ms. Graff's leadership, the organization has grown into an international network that provides education and support to more than 15,000 people in 108 countries and has affiliate support groups in 26 countries on six continents. To date, the VHL Family Alliance has awarded over $1.3M in grants leading to advances in cancer research.

Dr. Kaelin is one of the leading researchers on cancer and VHL in the world. He has helped to understand the working of the VHL gene which controls the feeding pipeline of every tumor. 
His research has prompted drug discovery opportunities in support of VHL and universal cancer treatment. Dr. Kaelin has garnered a number of accolades including election to the Institute of Medicine.   

"We are thrilled to be honoring two individuals who have made a lasting impact on patient support and cancer research," said Jane McMahon, Chairperson of the VHLFA Board of Directors. "Funds raised through this event will be essential to our ongoing effort towards finding a cure for VHL and other forms of cancer.  Current research efforts of the VHLFA include the establishment of an International Patient Registry which will benefit patients, physicians, and researchers alike. We are especially thankful for our Sponsors: Platinum Sponsors: Novartis and the Wilcox Family and our Gold Sponsors: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Eli Lilly and Company, FibroGen, Inc., and Peoples Federal Savings Bank."

About VHLFA

The VHL Family Alliance (VHLFA), a 510(c)3 non-profit organization founded in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1993, is an international network of family support volunteers, researchers, and medical professionals. VHLFA is the preeminent resource for VHL and related tumor conditions. The VHL gene is a primary player on the path of angiogenesis and thus is one of the keys to understanding cancer. Like us on Facebook, find us on LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter.

For more information about VHL or VHLFA, visit www.vhl.org or call 617.277.5667 x4. 

For more information, contact:

Ilene Sussman, VHL Family Alliance

617.277.5667 x4

[email protected]

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SOURCE VHL Family Alliance