Life According to Sam
Next Monday, October 21 at 9:00 pm EST, HBO will debut LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM, the story of Sam Berns, a young boy with an extremely rare and highly-rapid aging disease called Progeria, and his family’s 13-year fight to find a cure.
This film tells a story not only about the love of physician parents trying to save their son – it also portrays a winding journey throughout the scientific process and the pivotal role that medical innovation plays in our lives. In the film we see children with Progeria gather in Boston from around the world – all expected to live no longer than 13 years – to receive treatment and participate in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial.
The film’s Oscar®-winning Directors Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine have earned multiple awards for LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM, winning the “Best of Fest” at the AFI Docs Festival in Washington, DC; the Audience Award at the Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard Film Festivals the Best Storytelling Award at Nantucket and Best Feature Documentary at the Woods Hole and Rhode Island International Film Festivals.
The Progeria Research Foundation, a Research!America member, is leading the fight to find better treatments – and ultimately the cure – for Progeria, the rare and fatal “rapid aging” disease affecting children around the world.
You can learn more online, visit their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.
Statement by Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley on Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Statement by Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley on Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
October 7, 2013
Research!America salutes this year’s Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine, Drs. James Rothman of Yale University; Randy Schekman of the University of California, Berkeley; and Thomas Sudhof of Stanford University. Their transformative research into the cell transport system has unleashed opportunities to develop medicines for the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, epilepsy and other metabolism deficiencies that afflict millions of Americans. The winners, whose research was partly funded by the National Institutes of Health, laid the groundwork for research into how brain cells communicate and the inner-workings of other cells that release hormones. This type of federally funded basic research has spurred the expansion of our nation’s biotech industry, which plays an important role in advancing medical progress and stimulating the economy. The awardees exemplify the spirit of innovation sorely needed to inspire the next generation of Nobel laureates. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a Research!America member, also deserves recognition for supporting the work of HHMI investigators Drs. Schekman and Sudhof.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Although many great strides in new treatments and therapies for breast cancer have been made, patients and their families are still waiting desperately for a cure. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.
This month, organizations will raise awareness and funding for breast cancer, and it’s important that we continue advocating to policy makers, media and the public about the importance of funding research at the level of scientific opportunity. Throughout October, please visit Research!America members American Cancer Society and American Association for Cancer Research to learn more about preventative care, new research and ways you can help make a difference in the fight against cancer.
Now is the time to tell Congress that we need #curesnotcuts; we need access to quality breast cancer screenings, diagnostic services and treatment, and care for all women. Speak up for breast cancer research!