April 23, 2003
Vera Bradley Foundation Pledges $2 Million to IU Cancer Center for Research
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research
has pledged $2 million over a five-year period to fund the new Vera Bradley
Center for Breast Cancer Research at the Indiana University Cancer Center.
"We are committed to funding research, and we are excited about
the progress we see at IU," says Barbara Baekgaard, co-founder of
the foundation and co-owner of Vera Bradley, Inc.
The center will focus on the genetic differences that can help scientists
detect cancers earlier and treat cancer patients with customized therapies.
The future of breast cancer treatment, and treatment of all cancers, could
include chemotherapy without side effects and earlier detection that can
lead to a significant decrease in cancer-related deaths.
"We are making discoveries that could change the way we view cancer.
It will be more like diabetes; something that can be maintained and controlled,"
says Linda Malkas, Ph.D., the Vera Bradley Chair in Oncology at the IU
School of Medicine.
Part of the biomarker research focuses on a new mechanism that detects
differences in the genetic code of cancer patients. Deciphering the variations
in these codes could allow physicians to diagnose cancer at a much earlier
stage than conventional methods allow. When detected early enough, 95
percent of all breast cancers can be put into remission or even cured.
"Four of my friends were diagnosed with breast cancer this year
and our mission to fund this research is more imperative than ever,"
says Patricia Miller, Vera Bradley, Inc. co-owner and Vera Bradley Foundation
co-founder.
This is the second pledge made by the foundation to the IU Cancer Center.
A $1.2 million, five-year pledge to endow the Vera Bradley Chair in Oncology
was completed ahead of schedule in 2002. The Vera Bradley Classic, a premier
women's golf and tennis tournament, is the main source of income for the
Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.
This year's Classic will be held May 30- June 2. The golf tournament
will be at the Fort Wayne Country Club. Wildwood Racquet Club of Fort
Wayne will be the site of the tennis tournament.
For information on the foundation's activities, visit www.verabradley.org
or call 260-482-4673.
###
Media Contact: Pamela Perry
317-274-7722
pperry@iupui.edu
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
A STATEWIDE
RESOURCE
Phone
317 274 7722
Fax
317 278 8722