Science and love

Today, we celebrate the science that has brought Dr. Leonard and Dr. Saltzman's cancer research to this point, that would not have been possible without the love and support that you all have shown to Doc and his cancer project through the years. THANK YOU for this support, we reached our goal and raised over $125,000 for the cancer fund in 2023!

Science
Lance Augustin, Lead Scientist in the cancer research lab, reports that ssnce our last update in the Fall, we have continued to work to optimize the dosing of our bacteria to achieve consistent comprehensive secretion of anticancer immune stimulating proteins into tumors. Our mouse colony now consists of three different solid tumor cancer models including, breast cancer, bone cancer, and connective tissue cancer. We are working to perform experiments using new technology to examine the activation state of individual immune cells within tumors in response to our therapy. The results of these experiments will reveal additional immune stimulating proteins to be genetically engineered into our bacteria to increase the anticancer power of this therapy.

Love
Recently, Dr. Leonard took a moment to stop by this portrait of his mentor, Dr. Owen Wangensteen, at the Department of Surgery of the University of Minnesota.  When Dr. Leonard was a medical student in the 1950s, Dr. Wangensteen taught Dr. Leonard the love of querying the unknown, to think out of the box. This led to several medical inventions that Dr. Leonard is responsible for creating, that are still used today in medical settings.

This also led to Dr. Leonard and Dr. Saltzman together, thinking out of the box about cancer and a cancer treatment that does not carry the harmful side effects of current cancer therapies. Mix in the love and support of Doc’s friends and hunting buddies, and we are GO for hunting down cancer and creating a cancer therapy that is kinder and gentler for our loved ones.

Thank You
Thank you for your part in the science and your part in the love. We see you, we appreciate you, and we are here for you if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Leonard or myself. We continue to fight for the cure, and couldn’t do it without you.

What’s Next?
With winter here in Minnesota feeling like spring this year, we can’t help but look forward to the blessings that are soon on our doorstep: planting dahlia bulbs in the greenhouse, seeing our friends and supporters at Doc’s Cancer Shootout April 18th, following the lab as they continue to push toward FDA approval, and enjoying the simple pleasures of friends and family and another day to enjoy all of it together. Take Care Y’all!