Andy Martin, a third-year medical student at the Tulane University School of Medicine, is growing cells from his own tumor in a laboratory, hoping to develop a cure for his own cancer. Martin has a rare and untreatable cancer called sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma, which cannot be treated effectively through standard therapies.

A large group of Tulane medical students is working to increase cancer awareness and to raise funds to support cancer research at Tulane, which will help the investigators in the laboratory of Tyler Curiel, chief of hematology and medical oncology find a new target for treating this type of cancer. Martin is the main investigator on this team. This work also may establish new treatments for other types of cancer.

The medical students are holding an event called Bounce for Life on December 15 - 16 to help support this research. Curiel, who is an ultramarathon runner, is attempting to break the world record for dribbling a basketball while running over a 24-hour period. The current record is 97.37 miles.

Bounce for Life will take place at the Danny Thiel Track on the Tulane University campus, located near the baseball field starting at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, December 15.

ýThis is an opportunity not only to help Andy, but also to contribute to the understanding of cancer,ý Curiel says.

Tulane surgeons contributed their services to biopsy Martinýs tumor to obtain cells. Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) is an aggressive cancer of the nasal cavity and surrounding sinuses. Fewer than 100 cases of SNUC have been reported in the medical literature, and few patients survive past five years.

ýI am at a unique point in my personal struggle with the disease and in my medical education,ý Martin says. ýI have the time and opportunity to do research under the mentorship of Tyler Curiel with the cells that were culled from my own tumor, in order to better understand SNUC. Hopefully, this will lead to the discovery of targets for novel drug therapies, and provide a ray of hope to those who suffer from this disease.ý

Curiel and his team of scientists are internationally recognized for their studies of the mechanisms by which tumors grow, metastasize and evade the immune system. This understanding has led to the discovery of targets for novel cancer therapies. The team recently discovered several pathways by which tumors turn off the bodyýs immune defense system. These discoveries form the basis for a clinical trial launched recently to test a new treatment for ovarian cancer.

The medical students are seeking gifts, pledges and event sponsorship for Bounce for Life. Contributions may be sent to Tulane Cancer Center/Run over Cancer, 1430 Tulane Ave., SL-78, New Orleans, La. 70112. For more information, contact the section of hematology-oncology at Tulane University School of Medicine at 504.988.5482 or visit the medical studentsý website at:

www.bounceforlife.org