The Research Evangelist

The final piece of the puzzle is now in place. I’ve been writing about the promise of liquid biopsy in cancer detection and treatment for several months and specifically about Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) research being done at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) by Dr. Daniel Haber, Director of the MGH Cancer Center.   On Thursday, I met Dr. Haber to discuss his research, and now I am even more determined and excited to support his work. Though the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) has supported Dr. Haber’s research since 2004, I had never personally met him.   NFCR support had helped lead to a $30 million strategic relationship with Johnson & Johnson to commercialize his CTC Chip, so I was obviously impressed by his work.   But because I have a personal mantra that “It’s about relationships”, it was important for me to meet Dr. Haber to solidify my commitment to raising funds to support his research. So let me tell you that I am equally impres...

  My heart is broken. Dave Bjork, Cancer Research Evangelist has had a tough week. My friend Stephen Muir passed away yesterday. He was 45 years old, never smoked, but died of stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer. Wow. Diagnosed August 8 th , died September 4 th .   Wow. I’ve been gearing up for a major fundraising effort this fall to support the research of Dr. Daniel Haber, the Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. The sad irony is that my friend Stephen’s story is so profoundly relevant to the research I am supporting. I feel like there is a reason and a purpose for my friendship with Stephen to make a difference in the work that I do at the National Foundation for Cancer Research. Tumors change over time, often developing resistance to treatment. To remain effective, targeted therapies need to address these tumor changes as they occur. That requires constant monitoring of tumors, so that doctors can make appropriate adjustments to patien...