School of Medicine, Red Raider cross country join forces for ALSF

Team Cell Busters, along with TTU Cross Country, led the way in the ALSF journey to a million

The School of Medicine Cancer Center at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) received a three-year grant from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) to support the Children’s Oncology Group Cell Line and Xenograph Repository. During National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the School of Medicine Cancer Center also partnered with the Texas Tech University cross country team in its effort to journey one-million miles for ALSF.

ALSF, founded in 2005 to continue the efforts of the late Alexandra (Alex) Scott, currently works to coordinate research and fundraising to fight childhood cancer, which took Alex’s life at the age of eight. Since Alex’s first lemonade stand began raising funds in 2000, ALSF has raised over $80 million to help with the expenses of families traveling to attain care for children battling cancer and fund more than 450 cutting-edge research projects, including the Cell Line Xenograph and Repository.

The Cell Line Xenograph and Repository laboratory is housed in the TTUHSC School of Medicine Cancer Center and receives cancers from children across the U.S. and grows them in "test tubes" and in xenografts. These unique laboratory models of childhood cancer are provided to investigators worldwide (in 15 countries) to study the biology of childhood cancer and to develop new therapies.

C. Patrick Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D., director of the School of Medicine Cancer Center, said the contribution from ALSF will help to continue and expand the research and access to the materials housed by the Cell Line Xenograph and Repository.

"We are grateful to ALSF for their critically important support of the repository, which is literally the worldwide repository for laboratory models of childhood cancer,” Reynolds said. “Team Cell Busters did a fantastic job logging miles, which raises funds and awareness for childhood cancer."

Alex’s Million Mile is a one-month event organized by ALSF during September. The goal is to collectively run, walk and/or ride one million miles to raise funds for childhood cancer research and increase awareness of the need to support childhood cancer research. Participants can register to log their miles for free on their website and perform their miles anywhere they like.

Members and coaches of the Texas Tech cross country team joined together with Cancer Center members, their families, and investigators at other institutions in a team called “Cellbusters”, which logged a whopping 13,000 miles and raise $6,000 for the foundation. Additionally, the School of Medicine Cancer Center participated in various fundraisers for ALSF throughout the month including a bake sale and a lemonade stand at a local business.

Texas Tech head cross country coach Jon Murray said his team was able to add 3,000 miles to the total for team Cell Busters. He had his student-athletes logging their mileage during their regularly scheduled training workouts. Coach Murray noted his team was inspired by the cause and excited to help raise awareness.

"It was an honor to work with the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Alex's Lemonade Stand to help bring awareness to childhood cancer," Coach Murray said. "Each mile was done with joy and we were glad to help the cause."

For more information about Alex’s Lemonade Stand or Alex’s Million Mile, go to their website: http://www.alexslemonade.org/campaign/2014-alexs-million-mile