ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND
NEWS & UPDATES
ICRF INITIATIVE SPOTLIGHT

ICRF and City of Hope host 3rd annual
Jacki and Bruce Barron Cancer Research
Scholars' Program Symposium
January 30, 2020 | City of Hope, Duarte, CA
The 3rd annual Jacki and Bruce Barron Cancer Research Scholars Program Symposium was held at City of Hope in Duarte, CA on January 30, 2020. This international gathering of world-renowned scientists, whose lives are dedicated to advancing novel ways to prevent and cure cancer, has been made possible through the leadership and generous support of The Harvey L. Miller Family.  

The symposium is part of an ongoing collaboration between ICRF and City of Hope, bringing together some of the most promising scientific minds in cancer research. Working together, the investigators are conducting innovative research into more effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies for patients with cancer around the world. Some of the diverse research projects funded focus on a specific type of cancer - including leukemia, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and lung cancer; while other studies have the potential to impact multiple cancers.

This annual gathering underscores the value and importance of shared international collaboration in advancing our understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.  
STORIES OF ICRF

Hannah Levy

At the first University of Michigan (U-M) Israel Summit, I was fortunate to meet Allyson Marks Greenfield, ICRF's Chicago Executive Director. She connected me with several Israeli labs that ICRF helps fund. I hoped to learn more about their projects and connect in person.

Weeks later, I was off to the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS), where I was honored to be the first undergraduate to attend the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Symposium, a collaborative research effort between Technion–Israel Institute of Technology , WIS and U-M. My conversations with several Principal Investigators, including ICRF Research Career Development Awardee Dr. Ziv Shulman , as well as PhD and MSc students, gave me multiple perspectives in the field. It was inspiring to see such meaningful collaboration among all three institutions.
I was invited to visit Dr. Shulman's Weizmann lab, where his MSc student, Lihee Asaf, explained her cancer immunology project. The lab's cutting-edge technology permits students to conduct multiple projects simultaneously – for example, creating computer models of antibodies and observing mouse lymph nodes in vivo in real time. I experienced the drive and passion of the lab's students, who are encouraged to propose and design their own experimental questions and assays. For me, the work in this lab is emblematic of Israel’s innovation culture.

It’s truly wonderful that ICRF funding enables scientists to conduct such powerful research. I hope one day to be so privileged.

-Hannah Levy
ICRF RESEARCH UPDATE

JTA: What red hot chile peppers might be able to do for cancer pain

It’s no secret that Israelis can do amazing things with spicy foods. Exhibit no.1: zhug, the hot sauce derived from chile peppers that seems to be taking the world by storm.

Some of the greatest excitement today in Israel surrounding chile peppers is happening outside the kitchen — in laboratories, where scientists are experimenting with the pain-suppressing properties of hot peppers for the treatment of pain associated with cancer. Avi Priel, PhD , a pharmacologist and researcher at Hebrew University is experimenting with using capsaicin, the irritating phytotoxin found in chile peppers, to stop pain from reaching the neural receptors of patients’ brains. That way, they simply won’t feel the pain. Capsaicin has been in use in topical pain relief compounds and Priel is studying its potential to replace addictive opioids in alleviating cancer-related.
Hebrew University pharmacologist Avi Priel, PhD, heads a seven-person lab that is working on methods to stop pain from reaching the neural receptors of patients’ brains.
Priel’s research is financed in part by a three-year, $250,000 grant from ICRF’s Brause Family Initiative for Quality of Life. Ruth Brause, who lives in New York, said her family created the fund after her 89-year-old mother died of pancreatic cancer in 2000. “During this whole horror, she was in terrible pain,” Brause recalled. “In the United States at least, pain management has not been dealt with properly, which is why our family decided to fund this initiative.”

“We congratulate Dr. Priel for trying to figure out something that’s not addictive — especially in light of the opioid crisis we have here in America,” she said.
UPCOMING EVENTS
March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month

ICRF New York

ICRF Chicago
Arizona Cocktail Reception & Dinner (Scottsdale, AZ) | April 20

ICRF Connecticut

ICRF Florida
Florida Donor Appreciation Brunch (Aventura, FL) | March 29

ICRF California
Return to LA Celebration  (Los Angeles, CA)  | April 22
2020 ICRF Mission to Israel November 6-11

  • Visit ICRF-funded scientists in their labs
  • Tour ICRF Park in Tel Aviv
  • Enjoy innovative restaurants around the country
  • Explore both new and familiar sights with a fresh perspective

Save the date to join us on this once-in-a-lifetime trip! Details and registration link to follow.
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IN THE NEWS
The Answer To Cancer Is Research.

Israel Cancer Research Fund's mission is to support the best and brightest scientists conducting groundbreaking cancer research in Israel. To date, ICRF has allocated over $72 million in funding for nearly 2,500 grants to scientists at leading Institutions across Israel.