Dr. Derek Duckett, a top cancer researcher at the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, presented a talk entitled, “Brain Cancer: Novel Therapies Fighting Back” on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at The Club at Admiral’s Cove in Jupiter, Florida. The event was hosted by The Rendina Family Foundation and co-sponsored by Genentech and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure and allowed local supporters of the brain tumor community to learn more about the work being done in Dr. Duckett’s lab. Dr. Duckett is the associate scientific director of the Translational Research Institute at Scripps and leads a lab that includes two postdoctoral fellows, one funded by the Rendina Family Foundation, Dr. Daniel Feurstein, and the other funded by ABC2 and the Florida Center for Brain Tumor Research, Dr. Vanessa Saunders.During the event Dr. Duckett presented highlights of his work investigating JNK2, and participated in an active Q&A from the audience. The Scripps team did an amazing job at sharing their complex science in a way that not only was easy to understand, but also inspirational to all those in attendance.Dr. Duckett commented, “I and my lab members, Dr. Daniel Feurstein and Dr. Vanessa Saunders, were so pleased to be part of this celebration of our determination to make strides against GBM, a terrible affliction which robs us of our loved ones. I was honored to share the scientific research that the generous funds from both ABC2 and the Rendina Family Foundation have facilitated at Scripps Florida. I was also delighted to meet the people who passionately support both foundations and who are dedicated to finding novel therapies for this devastating disease.”This November event, was the first event in a series planned for the next year. These informal, science talks are focused on bringing the science out of the labs and into the lives of our supporters and all those dedicated to finding a cure for brain cancer.
