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The Power of Empire State Ride’s Top Fundraisers: Advancing Pancreatic Cancer Research

Posted on by j.schifferle
A person in an orange jacket stands clapping with hands raised above their head in a crowded indoor setting, while others sit and watch, some also applauding. Blue barriers and white beams are visible in the background.

The Power of Empire State Ride’s Top Fundraisers: Advancing Pancreatic Cancer Research

The Power of Empire State Ride Fundraising

Empire State Ride has fueled its share of important cancer research over the event’s 12-year history. From generating seed funding for new ideas on how to treat cancer to enabling breakthrough treatments like SurVaxM, a brain cancer vaccine, funding from this event has moved the needle on how we treat cancer, bringing hope to patients everywhere. Riders play a major role in making these advances possible, each raising $3,500 or more for the cause. Since ESR’s inception, this has led to a collective $12 million raised for the mission to end cancer (and counting!).

Then there’s the small but committed group of Excelsior riders who go above and beyond the call of duty each year, raising an incredible $20,000 or more. Funds from these riders are pooled and designated to advance one promising new research study. In 2025, Excelsior riders funded a research study from Agnes Witkiewicz, MD, Director of Advanced Tissue Imaging at Roswell Park. This study, entitled “Multi-Pronged Therapeutic Targeting of Pancreatic Cancer” explores a multidimensional, targeted approach to treating pancreatic cancer, a cancer that is notoriously hard to treat and expected to become the second leading cause of cancer deaths by 2030.

Read more about cancer research studies funded by ESR

Who Funded the Pancreatic Cancer Research Study?

A large group of people of various ages smile and pose together indoors under a metal roof, standing and kneeling in front of blue pickup windows and beige walls.

2025 Empire State Ride Excelsior riders who raised $20,000 or more helped fund this promising research project. A special thank you to …

  • Terry Bourgeois
  • Seth Brener
  • Maria Coccia-Bourgeois (Read Maria’s Story)
  • Scott Cohen
  • Douglas Eberhard
  • Jane Eshbaugh (Read Jane’s Story)
  • Thomas Flynn
  • Jerry Lewandowski (Read Jerry’s Why)
  • Vincent Loscalzo
  • Jason Maher
  • Emily Regan (Read about Emily’s Team)
  • Jacob Richey
  • Tim Richey
  • Steven Shepsman
  • Christine Standish

What Does the Pancreatic Cancer Research Study Investigate?

In simple terms, this new study uses a three-pronged approach to address the issue of treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer. Focused on generating preliminary data, the study will serve as a stepping stone to determine the effectiveness using  KRAS and RAS inhibitors in combination with CDK inhibitors to boost a patient’s response to CAR T-cell therapy.

KRAS inhibitors have been successful in suppressing gene mutations individually, but response time is limited and treatment resistance still develops. Researchers will seek to inhibit and reverse resistance to KRAS inhibitors using RAS and CDK inhibitors while enhancing overall understanding of how treatment resistance develops.

From there, researchers will determine how pre-treating pancreatic cancer with KRAS and CDK inhibitors works when followed by the use of CAR T-cell therapy, which uses a patient’s own disease-fighting T cells to recognize and attack cancer cells. CAR T-Cell therapy has proven highly effective in treating liquid tumors like leukemia but has not yet been as successful with solid tumors.

Read more about CAR T-cell therapy
A person wearing an orange "Survivor #EmpireStateRide" tank top walks on a path near tents at sunrise, with sunlight shining behind their head and trees in the background.

What Empire State Ride Makes Possible

By raising $20,000 or more, the 2025 top Excelsior riders are shaping our approach to cancer survivorship, building a model that’s aimed at long-term health. This is just one example of what Empire State Ride fundraising is making possible in the world of cancer research. We can’t wait to see where we go next!

Read more about where Empire State Ride funding goes.

Igniting Cancer Breakthroughs

Past SAC Grants

Research Matters: Your Ride Powers Critical Cancer Research

Posted on by Jocelyn McNamara
A person wearing protective gloves and a lab suit handles a vial with pink liquid, placing it in a rack with other vials and bottles on a sterile laboratory workbench.

Research Matters: Your Ride Powers Critical Cancer Research

Before the Victory Bell ringings, the celebrations and the breakthrough treatments — there’s been research. That’s where progress begins. And right there, at the start line, is Empire State Ride.

Since 2014, funds raised by ESR participants have helped drive advancements in cancer research, breakthroughs that are saving lives today. To help put that impact into perspective, Roswell Park experts share why Research Matters and how the dollars raised through ESR are shaping the future of how we understand and treat cancer.

Roswell Park Experts Weigh In

Four panelists sit on stage discussing in front of a screen displaying “WHY RESEARCH MATTERS” and photos of various people, at what appears to be a public lecture or conference event.

The theme of the discussion, Research Matters, ties into a larger campaign across Roswell Park, highlighting the significance of science in the fight against cancer.

  • Mukund Seshadri, Dean, Office of Cancer Education and Training; Chair, Department of Oral Oncology
  • Joyce Ohm, Chair of Cancer Genetics and Genomics
  • Kenan Onel, Chief, Clinical Genomics; Director, Center for Precision Oncology and Cancer Prevention

More Than a Decade of Progress

Dr. Ohm, who began her work in cancer research in 1997, had this answer to what has changed over the past decades when it comes to treating patients: everything.

“When I first started, we had literally three treatments: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. And those are still the mainstream treatments by which we treat our patients, and they work and they do wonderful things,” said Dr. Ohm. “But many [fundraisers] are patients, survivors or have family members who’ve been treated here. They started to hear a lot of different words in the hospital. Things like immunotherapy, targeted therapy, biologics, antibody-based therapy, small molecule inhibitors.”

She explained that, today, when patients come in, they get not generic treatments, but targeted options that are meant to treat their individual cancers in the best possible way.

Every one of these new approaches started in a lab. Many of them were funded by dollars raised through Empire State Ride.

A woman with short brown hair, wearing a white lab coat and light blue top, stands smiling in a bright hallway with large windows. The lab coat displays the Roswell Park logo and a name badge.
A group of cyclists in matching blue "Empire State Ride" jerseys and helmets smile at the camera, with two people in the center posing closely, outdoors on a sunny day.

An Idea -> A Breakthrough

A man with glasses, gray hair, and a beard is wearing a dark suit, blue shirt, and tie. He is smiling and standing in a brightly lit indoor setting with blurred windows in the background.
A large group of people wearing matching white and yellow shirts pose together outdoors on grass, with trees and blue sky in the background, smiling at the camera.

Mukund Seshadri leads Roswell Park’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), which oversees the competitive review process used to award research grants through the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation. These grants are what researchers call seed funding.

“Literally true to the word, it’s seed funding. It’s an idea that, at the stage of the seed, your donor dollars give it the water and fertilizer and everything else that’s needed for that seed to grow into a plant and hopefully a big tree that lasts,” said Dr. Seshadri.

Each year, Roswell Park scientists apply for these grants, which help launch new research initiatives that may one day lead to new treatments, diagnostics or prevention strategies. Philanthropic dollars, from events like Empire State Ride, help make this research possible. Top Empire State Ride fundraisers, who raise $20,000 or more, known as Excelsior Riders, even have the opportunity to designate a SAC grant to support a specific research project.

Check out what 2025 excelsior riders funded

Dr. Seshadri reflected on receiving one of these grants early in his career when he was an assistant professor.

“When someone asks you what’s their return on investment, I’m the return on their investment.” Dr. Seshadri added, “So [the ESR Community], has literally provided that seed funding to countless projects across our cancer center that have gone from the whole spectrum of a simple idea in the laboratory to a clinical trial. You name it in the whole gamut. You have made it possible.”

World-Class Research at Roswell Park

From its inception in 1898, Roswell Park identified cancer research as a core element of its mission. Since then, groundbreaking research by Roswell scientists has led to greater understanding of the nature of cancer and to major advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Roswell Park has been designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a comprehensive cancer center for more than four decades. That means when you raise funds for Roswell Park, you’re supporting some of the top cancer care and research in the country … if not the world.

Dr. Onel is a physician scientist, so he sees the impact of the dollars raised on both the bench and the bedside.

“My department is called clinical genomics, and we take care of people and families that are increased risk for cancer because of their genes or because of their family history. We perform genetic testing and then we do something that actually doesn’t exist anywhere else in the country,” said Dr. Onel. “We actually created the world’s first medical home for people and families that are increased risk for cancer because of their genes or family history. It’s baffling to me why it’s not everywhere, but it’s not. We’re the first and the only one.”

By making new discoveries about cancer every day — how it grows, how to detect it, how to stop it — and using these discoveries to set the global standards for how to treat it, we not only save the lives of patients who walk through our doors, we help to save lives across the world.

A smiling older man with gray hair and glasses, wearing a white lab coat and red patterned tie, stands with arms crossed in a bright hallway with large windows.
A smiling cyclist raises her fist in celebration while riding in a race with other cyclists on a city street, cheered on by spectators behind barricades. A “Go Mom!” sign is attached to her bike.

Why Fundraise? Why Now?

A woman speaks to a group of four adults standing beside white refrigerators in a lab or storage room. The group listens attentively, and some wear jackets and hats. The setting appears to be an educational or informational tour.
Two cyclists in matching jerseys smile and hold their bikes above their heads in celebration near a railing, with a river and misty waterfall in the background. Both wear medals around their necks.

Cancer research has always been imperative, but in today’s climate, that sentiment is especially true. The need for philanthropic funds to fill the gap in federal funding is urgent.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the NCI fund most of the cancer research across the world; that’s the big money pool. However, right now, only about 4% of grants are being funded. So how does a researcher make sure their project doesn’t fall in the other 96% percent that goes unfunded?

“What you have to do is you have to have a great idea. You have to have an amazing team. You have to have a lot of preliminary data. While the NCI funds most of our research, the most important research dollars that we get come from you riding a bike. I ride my bike, too,” emphasized Dr. Ohm. “Those dollars fund the pilot projects. They fund the new idea. They let us ask a new question. They let us take a new direction. They let us get that missing piece of data that I need to convince those reviewers at the NCI that idea is really, really good, and it’s going to work.”

Funds raised by Empire State Ride participants like you are the change agent. Your efforts are what will bridge that gap, and your passion for this cause is what will save lives. There are patients today still searching for one more option — and Roswell Park researchers, hand in hand with the ESR community, are committed to bringing those innovations to the people who need them most.

The Mission to End Cancer

The word “cure” is one seldom used in talking about cancer. But, after 12 years and more than $12 million raised, its meaning has evolved.

“There probably is not going to be one cure for cancer, but I can tell you that we are curing individual patients’ cancers today,” said Dr. Ohm. “And we’re doing that with increasing frequency. There are more and more survivors every day that walk out of here, and they live long, happy lives, and they get to spend time with their families. And it’s amazing.”

That transition is because of you. And it’s also because of you that we believe ending cancer as we know it is within reach, but we can’t stop now. In fact, now is the time we need to pick up the pace, with our sights locked on the finish line.

Thank you for making a difference through Empire State Ride, and thank you for believing what we know to be true: Research Matters.

Learn more about your impact

Excelsior Riders Fuel Pancreatic Cancer Research

Posted on by Jackie Roberts McDonough
Dr. Aftab Alam, Roswell Park scientist

Excelsior Riders Fuel Pancreatic Cancer Research

By committing to ride 500+ miles across New York State while raising funds for cancer research, Empire State Ride (ESR) road warriors know they are making a difference. The impact of ESR is happening right now, in New York State and worldwide.

When a rider raises $10,000 or more, they achieve Excelsior status. Within that group, road warriors who raise $20,000 or more reach a new level. Their funds are designated to a specific research project, approved by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Here’s a look at the most recent SAC grant awarded to promising cancer research.

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Research

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with a five-year overall survival rate of only 13%. That high death rate is largely due to the fact that the disease is often diagnosed too late and tends to be resistant to commonly used treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Current immune therapies, which are designed to help the body fight cancer, have not been very effective against PDAC because the tumor has a dense and poorly developed blood supply.

That’s where Dr. Aftab Alam and his team at Roswell Park come in.

An Urgent Need for New Treatment Options

Two men in white lab coats work together at a microscope in a laboratory. One man is adjusting the microscope while the other looks on and smiles. There is a window in the background letting in natural light.

Dr. Alam, Research Assistant Professor of Oncology, Department of Immunology, is working to uncover new treatment options to improve survival rates for PDAC patients. His research will focus on how fungi in our bodies might impact the development of pancreatic cancer.

“With this support, I will be able to improve my research, collaborate with other researchers in the field and gain a better understanding of how this type of cancer works,” said Dr. Alam.

Being selected for SAC funding is a competitive and rigorous process, one in which Dr. Alam needed to demonstrate high potential and established groundwork.

This project aims to explore how interactions between cancer and any present fungi affect the release of an immune signaling protein, which could ultimately impact the progression of the disease. Understanding the role of the exocyst complex (an important protein complex) could lead to new treatment strategies to change the tumor’s environment, encouraging a stronger immune response against PDAC and improving pancreatic cancer patient survival.

The Impact of Donor Dollars

For every dollar donated through events like ESR, Roswell Park is able to leverage an additional $23 in external grant funding for cancer research. That means the miles cycled by our road warriors are fueling lifesaving work and paving the way for the next generation of cancer care. Without those donor dollars, projects like this one may not have the resources to get off the ground and propel the next critical phase of research.

“I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the participants of Empire State Ride. The scientists at Roswell Park deeply appreciate your incredible commitment and effort in funding our research. Your dedication not only raises vital financial support but also amplifies awareness of the critical importance of cancer research. Every mile you ride makes a profound difference and inspires us to push forward in our work. Thank you for being true champions of cancer awareness and for bringing hope to the fight against cancer. You are making a significant impact! Keep pedaling, you have our unwavering support and appreciation.” 

— Dr. Aftab Alam

A man in a dark suit jacket and blue checkered shirt stands indoors near large windows, smiling softly at the camera. The background is bright and slightly blurred.

Curious about what other projects ESR Excelsior riders have funded over the years? Click here to learn more.

$1 to $23

Fueling Triple Negative Breast Cancer Research

Life on donor-funded clinical trial: SurVaxM

Posted on by Jackie Roberts McDonough
Tracey Kassman, glioblastoma patient on SurVaxM clinical trial

Life on donor-funded clinical trial: SurVaxM

In January 2022, Tracey Kassman, then 64 years old, faced the reality that her life may be ending sooner than expected. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma after doctors uncovered a brain tumor. Glioblastoma has an average life expectancy of 12-18 months.

“I had sort of made peace with the idea that this is a terminal illness, but I also realized that there was a whole lot of other stuff that I wanted to do,” said Tracey.

Tracey underwent radiation and chemotherapy at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Then, to her surprise, that April, she was presented with another option.

“Dr. Chinazom Ibegbu, who I adore by the way, said, ‘I think you would be a good candidate for this vaccine that we’re running trials on. Would you be interested in participating?’ And I was like, ‘Let’s see … It’s a really bad prognosis if I don’t do anything, so let’s just do everything we possibly can to try to make sure that I have more birthdays.”

And so, Tracey enrolled in the double-blind SurVaxM clinical trial. That was three years ago. 

SurVaxM Brain Cancer Immunotherapy

SurVaxM is an immunotherapy for glioblastoma, a type of aggressive brain tumor. The new treatment option was created in a lab at Roswell Park by Dr. Robert Fenstermaker, Chair of Neurosurgery and Dr. Michael Ciesielski, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery.

In 2024, SurVaxM received Fast-Track status from FDA. Funding from events like Ride for Roswell and Empire State Ride (ESR) played a key role in getting these trials off the ground, which in turn benefits patients not only here in New York, but now nationwide.

“When the opportunity came for me to have another way to extend my life, it was like I had to switch gears of, ‘I’m going to die right away’ to ‘Hey, maybe not,’ and I kind of liked that, ‘Hey, maybe not.’ I felt so lucky. I felt lucky to be here. I felt lucky to be surrounded by people who cared at Roswell Park. I still feel lucky.”

Tracey Kassman, SurVaxM clinical trial
Tracey Kassman, glioblastoma patient on SurVaxM clinical trial

Life on the clinical trial

Since Tracey is on a blind clinical trial, she doesn’t know for sure if she’s getting the real medication or the placebo. But, she jokes, “I have my suspicions.”

Today, Tracey is focusing on life beyond being a patient. She’s diving into the things she loves; she completed a writing workshop, taken up water aerobics and is spending more time working in her garden and with her family.

“This treatment doesn’t interfere with any part of my life really, other than getting here two days every two months.”

Message to Roswell Park Fundraisers

Tracey believes supporting cancer research is more important now than ever before, and she is grateful to the people who dedicate their time and talents to raising funds for Roswell Park.

“The thing that makes Roswell Park so great is that they’re preeminent in the research field,” she added. “The reputation is great, but it’s only great because they care so much about the patients. Any effort that somebody wants to give, any money they want to raise or how many miles they want to ride has got to be fueled by that feeling that this is worthwhile. And of course it is.”

After all, Tracey is just one example of how worthwhile those efforts truly are.

Four smiling women pose closely together indoors, wearing colorful clothing and scarves. They are in front of a wall with abstract art and appear happy and cheerful, enjoying each other's company.
Tracey Kassman, glioblastoma patient on SurVaxM clinical trial

For every dollar donated to Roswell Park directly or through events like ESR, our experts are able to leverage an additional $23 from external grants for cancer research. This is thanks to the support of road warriors and the hard work of Roswell Park researchers.

“I don’t know of any other charity in Buffalo that’s as focused as Roswell Park is. That’s how you know that any money being raised is not wasted. It’s going to be used for patient support and staff support and research,” Tracey exclaimed. “That gives you a great feeling. They grew SurVaxM right here. It’s a homegrown thing. I’m all about that.”

The phase 2B randomized SURVIVE trial is currently underway with existing patients at Roswell Park and 10 other centers nationwide but is no longer recruiting new patients.

How ESR is fueling the next breakthrough in cancer care