Help ‘make waves to fight cancer’ at 18th annual SAA-FC open water swim!

When Swim Across America-Fairfield County (SAA-FC) held its inaugural open water swim in Connecticut’s Long Island Sound in 2007, an annual tradition began of “making waves to fight cancer.”

Seventeen years later, in 2023, SAA-FC achieved an amazing milestone by surpassing $5 million raised to benefit ACGT and help fund novel cell and gene therapy research to develop curative treatments for cancer. SAA-FC’s support has been instrumental in funding 13 research grants to ACGT scientists working to develop new cancer cell and gene therapies.

The 2024 swim presents another opportunity to fund research and hit more curative milestones. The 18th annual Swin Across America-Fairfield County open water swim will be Saturday, June 29, 2024 in the Long Island Sound in Stamford, Connecticut.

Participants can choose to swim 0.5 miles, 1.5 miles or 3 miles, or volunteer to help in the water or on land. Two new additions this year include a Kids’ Splash for swimmers ages 6-11 and a High School Cup competition for local Fairfield County high school swim teams.

People who do not live in or near Fairfield County can still participate virtually. SAA My Way is a virtual option where you decide your activity and timeline.

Register for the Swim Across America-Fairfield County open water swim as a swimmer or volunteer today.

Celebrate National Cancer Survivors Month by sharing your cell and gene therapy story.

Funding from ACGT 20 years ago supported the research of Carl June, MD (University of Pennsylvania), and Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center). Their research led to the first two FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies for cancer (leukemia and lymphoma).

Today, this ACGT-funded science is helping patients become cancer survivors while enjoying their lives without the need for constant treatment, as explained in this video by ACGT Research Fellow Daniel Powell (University of Pennsylvania).

Tori Lee was diagnosed with leukemia at age 5. After multiple unsuccessful rounds of chemotherapy, one dose of CAR T-cell therapy destroyed her cancer, and she is now 11 years cancer-free. Austin Schuetz was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3. Two doses of CAR T-cell therapy is all he needed to be cancer-free for the past 10 years.

For National Cancer Survivors Month, ACGT would like to share stories of those who have undergone cell and gene therapy for cancer. Tell us about your journey. You can be an inspiration to others. Please email Devin Golden at dgolden@acgtfoundation.org to share your story or that of a loved one.

Join us and our partners in the fight against cancer!

Thanks to the unwavering support of our fundraising partners, ACGT has been at the forefront of funding groundbreaking research in cell and gene therapy for more than 23 years. Together, we’ve made remarkable strides toward a cancer-free future.

Our dedicated partners – including Swim Across America Fairfield County, Leave It On The Road, Wendy Walk, Play for P.I.N.K., and the Ming Lowe Walk – have each played a pivotal role in raising awareness and providing crucial funds. With their help, we’ve directed more than $6 million towards ACGT-funded research, accelerating progress in this promising field.

This summer is a great time for you to get involved. Whether you swim, walk, cycle, golf, or volunteer, you can make a difference.

Want to make an impact in a new way? Consider hosting your own fundraising event! Contact Keri Eisenberg, ACGT’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, at (475) 400-4373 to learn how you can get involved.

Together, we can achieve more. Together, we can secure a cancer-free future.

ACGT executive staff spotlight: Barbara Lavery.

Barbara Lavery joined ACGT in 2019 as chief program officer. She is responsible for programmatic initiatives, including leadership of the ACGT Academic Research Program, through which ACGT funds the most promising cancer cell and gene therapy research, and builds alliances between the ACGT Research Fellows and ACGT Scientific Advisory Council to advance new therapies from the laboratory bench to the clinic and ultimately to the patient.

Lavery also works with the ACGT Board of Directors and ACGT Alliance Partners to identify and fund critical collaborations with peer organizations and emerging biotech companies.

Prior to joining ACGT, Lavery was president of a strategic communications consulting firm for health care and biotechnology companies and the vice president of strategic alliances for Global Genes, a patient advocacy organization working to eliminate the challenges of rare diseases. Lavery has more than 25 years of experience working with or for health- and medical-focused nonprofit organizations.

What inspired you to join the ACGT team as chief program officer?

Barbara Lavery: This is my dream job! My role at ACGT combines science and research with business development and venture philanthropy in a forward-thinking, nonprofit environment that’s dedicated to brilliant people who are finding creative new solutions to some of cancer’s toughest challenges. At ACGT, we have the opportunity to identify the therapeutic paths to curing cancer and to fund the researchers and clinicians dedicated to making that happen. My role allows me to put everything I’ve learned in my career to use in working to eliminate cancer and save patients’ lives.

Enjoy the rest of our Q&A with Barbara featured on our website.

In the news

The latest on cancer cell and gene therapy from around the world.

• A year after undergoing a world-first treatment for the brain tumor glioblastoma, Australian doctor and melanoma expert Richard Scolyer remains cancer-free. In 2023, Dr. Scolyer became the first brain cancer patient ever to receive combination immunotherapy before surgery and a vaccine personalized to his tumor’s characteristics.
• Bristol Myers Squibb’s CAR T-cell therapy Breyanzi has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. Breyanzi was also approved this month for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma. The therapy is now approved by the FDA for four distinct subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• A University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University analysis reveals no secondary cancer cases directly due to CAR T-cell therapies. In more than 1,500 patients treated at the two academic cancer centers, only a small percentage of patients had a second cancer after treatment, and none could be directly attributed to CAR T-cell therapy.