Bob Saget, Bill Burr, Zach Galifianakis, Jeff Garlin, Jimmy Kimmel, Ray Romano, John Stamos and special musical guest, Counting Crows, along with Top Chef Masters bring Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine back to Los Angeles on June 16th

Presented by Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Cool Comedy – Hot Cuisine benefits the Scleroderma Research Foundation—America's first and leading nonprofit investor in medical research to find improved therapies and a cure for people living with scleroderma.

This year's event commemorates 30 years of history and achievements since its founding in 1987 by patient and fierce advocate, Sharon Monsky. As put best by Monsky: "I could organize a support group to help people in my community living with scleroderma or I could establish an organization that would bring the best of science and technology together in an effort to discover better treatments and a cure for people everywhere living with scleroderma. It wasn't easy, but I chose the latter."

Since its founding the SRF has taken a collaborative approach, bringing together some of the brightest minds in science to unravel the mystery of this complex autoimmune disease. Sharon lost her battle to the disease in 2002, but her vision lives on today.

The successful Cool Comedy – Hot Cuisine events held in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco have raised considerable awareness for scleroderma and enabled the SRF to fund innovative research bringing hope and helping to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from this debilitating disease.

The word scleroderma literally means "hard skin," but the disease is much more, often affecting the internal organs with lethal consequences. In some cases, the joints and muscles are affected, resulting in severe pain and limited mobility. Vascular damage due to scleroderma can result in loss of fingers, toes and entire limbs—but the most serious complications involve the lungs and kidneys.

To help turn a heavy subject lighter for the evening, Cool Comedy – Hot Cuisine will include a cocktail reception and a five-course dinner accompanied by wine provided by Napa Valley's Rombauer Vineyards, the family-owned winery known for its iconic Chardonnay.  The night will also feature performances by some of the biggest names in comedy, including Bill Burr, Zach Galifianakis, Jeff Garlin, Jimmy Kimmel, Ray Romano and music by Counting Crows. Celebrity chefs/restaurateurs Susan Feniger (also an SRF Board Member) and Mary Sue Milliken, Food Network's Too Hot Tamales and both Bravo Top Chef Masters, will prepare the multi-course "Hot Cuisine."  There will also be a live auction featuring unique packages such as a weekend VIP trip to the 2018 Super Bowl, traveling in style with first class round trip airfare.  Other packages include a dinner prepared in your home by some of the country's top chefs, paired with world class wines.

Tickets for Cool Comedy – Hot Cuisine start at $250 with premium seats for $500, $1,000 and $2,500; tables of ten are available for $5,000; $10,000 and $25,000. All monies raised benefit the Scleroderma Research Foundation. Advance reservations are required. For more information, call (800) 441-CURE (2873) or visit www.SRFcchc.org.

More about Scleroderma and the Scleroderma Research Foundation:

The symptoms and severity of scleroderma vary from one person to another and the course of the disease is often unpredictable. Women are disproportionately affected with scleroderma (representing four out of five patients), usually striking in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 20 and 50; however, children and men of all ages and across all ethnic boundaries can also be affected.

Today, there is no way to prevent scleroderma and there is no cure. Treatments are available for some but not all of the most dangerous complications. The continued success of the Scleroderma Research Foundation is entirely dependent upon charitable gifts from individuals and corporations.

Dr. Fredrick Wigley, Director of the Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center, which was launched with SRF funding and continues to grow with Foundation support, states in the volunteer-produced Project Scleroderma documentary: "The SRF has made an incredible difference, and I am absolutely convinced that, with the right support, there is nothing that can't be done."

The SRF was established in San Francisco in 1987 by scleroderma patient, the late Sharon Monsky, with a passionate commitment that lives on today: to use the power of collaborative medical research to advance a cure for scleroderma. Chaired by Luke Evnin, Ph.D., managing partner of MPM Capital, a dedicated investor in life sciences, the Foundation is enabling scientists from leading institutions across the nation and around the world to work together and develop an understanding of how the disease begins, how it progresses and what can be done to slow, halt or reverse the disease process.

For 30 years, through the generosity of its donors and support from events likes Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine, the Scleroderma Research Foundation has raised over $40 million dollars to fund ground-breaking research taking place at top universities such as Johns Hopkins, Stanford and UCSF.  We are in business to go out of business.  With your support, we can help the hundreds of thousands affected and fulfill the dream of our late founder, Sharon Monsky.

For more information on the Scleroderma Research Foundation please visit www.srfcure.org

SOURCE Scleroderma Research Foundation

Related Links

http://www.sclerodermaRESEARCH.org