All My Children's Colin Egglesfield at Tower Cancer Research Foundation's Beverly Hills Gala on May 22nd where One Million Dollar Grant to Single Researcher Investigating New Genetic Changes Caused by Cancer Among Major Grants To Be Announced; Philanthropists Lisa and Larry Rosenstein, Randi and Warren Grant, and Renowned Pediatric Oncologist Dr. Alan Wayne To Be Honored

News provided by

May 17, 2018, 08:07 ET

LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders in entertainment, politics, business and medicine will gather at Tower Cancer Research Foundation's Tower of Hope Gala on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 to honor Lisa and Larry Rosenstein, Randi and Warren Grant, and Dr. Alan Wayne for their ongoing commitment to raising awareness about cancer, and their dedication to ending the disease. All My Children's Colin Egglesfield will present an award to Dr. Alan Wayne, and Erin Cummings, breast cancer survivor who garnered international visibility when she starred on the Starz flagship series, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand", will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Several research grants will be awarded at the Gala, including Tower's first ever $1 Million grant to a sole investigator, City of Hope's Dr. Xiaochun Yu. Dr. Yu is receiving the grant as part of Tower's Power of Precision Campaign for his work focusing on ADP-ribosylation and cancer therapy. This grant will explore how to use a weakness of cancer cells to target DNA damage repair pathways, and develop novel chemotherapeutic approaches. The event will begin at 6:00 PM at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, 9876 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California.

Actress & breast cancer survivor Erin Cummings at Tower Cancer Research Foundation's Power of Tower 5K Run/Walk on March 11, 2018

Tower's Power of Precision Campaign seeks to accelerate the pace of cancer research in molecular genetics and to promote translation of scientific advances into new life-saving therapies. Historically, cancer patients have usually received the same treatment as others who have the same type and stage of cancer. After decades of research, scientists now understand that patients' tumors have genetic changes that cause cancer to grow and spread. They have learned that the changes that occur in one person's cancer may not occur in others who have the same type of cancer. Precision medicine targets the changes in cancer cells that help them grow, divide and spread. This campaign will help enable researchers to explore promising therapies that specifically target these changes or block their effects.

Over the course of the last twenty years, Tower has raised well over $30 million, funding that supports a multitude of different scientific grants from one-year $100,000 Career Development Grants to five year $500,000 Senior Investigator Grants to $1,000,000 Multi-disciplinary Discovery Funds. Tower's Discovery Fund encourages the pursuit of high-risk, high-reward research projects by providing scientists with funding upfront, thereby removing barriers to entry. Tower believes that leading-edge and novel ideas may not yet qualify for traditional grant funding due to a lack of preliminary data.

Tower's patient support division, Magnolia House, is a unique integrative survivorship wellness center with in-depth programs offered at no cost to cancer survivors and their loved ones. Tower's goal is to help participants develop a physical and emotional toolkit to manage the challenges of the disease. Magnolia House offers vanguard programs and workshops, including 6-week classes for cancer survivors that address end-stage disease challenges, classes for cancer caregivers, cooking classes to develop a nutritional approach to cancer survival, and individually tailored experiences such as a one-on-one fitness training with a cancer-trained therapist. Tower also supports a variety of Southern California community partners who bring vital cancer programs to underserved populations throughout Los Angeles.

All of this year's distinguished honorees share a commitment to stopping cancer and improving the lives of those effected by cancer.

Lisa & Larry Rosenstein met in Washington, D.C. in 1976 while Lisa worked teaching religious education and was a Director of Teacher Placement for the Bureau of Jewish Education. Larry had completed Law School at the University of San Diego and moved to D.C. to serve as a Legislative Analyst for the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on rules. They moved to California and were married in 1979. Lisa began her career in Los Angeles at the Stephen S. Wise Day School and is presently the founding Head of the Willows Community School, a Pre-K – Grade 8 co-educational independent private school in Culver City. Larry built his legal practice and specializes in Workers' Compensation Law. Lisa and Larry believe in the importance of philanthropy and are active in a variety of charitable causes. Tower is a top priority for their philanthropy since Larry was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2011. They realize the importance of cancer research, which together with the expertise of Larry's physicians and nurses, led to Larry's survival. Larry is member of the Board of Directors of Tower Cancer Research Foundation. Lisa and Larry are blessed with two children, Abby and Michael, a son-in-law, Daniel, a future daughter-in-law, Erika, and two granddaughters.

Randi and Warren Grant have been married for 35 years and have three wonderful sons, Adam, Jason and Jordan. Warren is the President and Founder of Grant, Tani, Barash & Altman LLC, a business management firm established in 1991. Warren graduated from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and is a CPA and registered financial advisor. After graduating from Cal State Northridge, Randi launched the company Design World. She has volunteered her interior design and events expertise as a Tower Magnolia Council member since 2011. She co-chaired Tower's 2014 Spirit of Hope Luncheon and has hosted a number of Magnolia Council speaker programs. In addition to her design activities, Randi is now working in real estate investment and has taken on the leadership role of Magnolia Council Treasurer. Philanthropy has always been a top priority for Randi and Warren. Warren is an active member of the Water Buffalo Club, a local non-profit group of professionals who donate their time and resources to improve the lives of young children in the underserved communities of Los Angeles. He is a past member of the American Heart Association, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Crohns & Colits Foundation, Magic Johnson Foundation among others. When she is not working with Tower, Randi is volunteering with organizations like Camp Hess Kramer, Crohns and Colitis Foundation, and the Heart and Stroke Ward at Cedars.

Alan S. Wayne, M.D., is the Interim Director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCCC), Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the Director of the Children's Center for Cancer & Blood Diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), and the Head of the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation in the Department of Pediatrics. In these roles, he oversees all research, treatment, prevention and education programs in hematology, oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at NCCC and CHLA. Prior to joining USC in 2013, Dr. Wayne served as senior clinician and clinical director of the Pediatric Oncology Branch, head of the Hematologic Diseases section and deputy director for Medical Affairs of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health. Board-certified in pediatric hematology-oncology, Dr. Wayne attended medical school at Northwestern University and served his internship, residency and chief residency at Boston Children's Hospital prior to completing his pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship at the Children's Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Wayne's primary research efforts are directed towards the development of new treatment approaches for leukemias and lymphomas, with a primary focus on relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). He was responsible for the bench-to-bedside development of anti-CD22 recombinant immunotoxin for the treatment of ALL and has an ongoing lead role in the development of genetically modified T-cells as a novel therapy for ALL.

Gala tickets may be purchased at https://www.towercancer.org/2018-gala-ticket-page/ or by calling 310.299.8477.

Media RSVP and Talent Inquiries: [email protected]

ABOUT TOWER CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION: Tower has been the Southern California cancer patient's greatest ally since 1996. Tower provides grants for innovative research, caring patient support and community education to promote more effective treatments for cancer. As a leading independent, donor-directed community cancer research foundation, Tower is focused on funding Southern California initiatives with a global impact. Over the course of the last twenty years, Tower has raised well over $30 million -- resources that have funded specific groundbreaking research and patient support programs that are professionally vetted by committees comprised of local scientific and community leaders. In the last two decades, Tower has participated in over 200 clinical trials with thousands of patients and awarded almost $10 million in the last decade alone to dozens of physician scientists pursuing novel hypotheses, including over $3 million to talented young researchers through Career Development Grants. These young grantees often demonstrate such promising results that they later obtain large grants from other foundations and research institutions. Tower's initial $3 million investment has led to almost $40 million in additional clinical research funding. While there are many brilliant scientists performing cancer research, Tower recognizes the importance of nurturing the regional pool of rich research talent because important breakthroughs have come from unexpected directions and provided new perspectives. http://towercancer.org/