Tour of Hope Highlights Cancer Research

On September 29, Scripps Health kicked-off the 3rd Annual Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla. The event was a huge success, attracting more than 2,000 people to watch seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and 25 cancer survivors, advocates, caregivers, physicians and researchers begin their ride from San Diego to Washington, D.C. The cyclists, who have all been touched by cancer, covered 3,300 miles in eight days to share their experiences and inspire others to learn more about cancer research.

“We are proud to be kicking off the 2005 Tour of Hope at Scripps because we provide cancer care to more patients than any other healthcare organization,” says Chris Van Gorder, CEO of Scripps Health.

The Tour of Hope’s goal is to raise awareness about the importance of cancer research, especially clinical trials, making Scripps an ideal place to begin. In addition to treating more cancer patients than any other facility in San Diego, Scripps is conducting more than 100 clinical trials for cancer treatments at any given time.

Scripps also advances the fight against cancer with efforts like the Rare Cell Detection Project. Scripps Cancer Center, The Scripps Research Institute and the Palo Alto Research Center have formed a bioengineering research partnership to develop technology to find breast cancer cells in peripheral blood. The partnership plans to create a FAST cytometer, a machine that can analyze 50 million cells in peripheral blood in 2 minutes and locate a single cancer cell. Current technology requires 16 hours to analyze the same number of cells.
Research projects like this, combined with quality patient care, help make Scripps the premier health care provider in San Diego.