Lou Castello, a Sales Engineer at KbPort™, will be participating in the 2019 MSU Gran Fondo this coming weekend. Through this cycling movement, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine has raised more than $1M for skin cancer research. Due to donations and support, MSU College of Human Medicine researchers have discovered a promising new drug that helps stop the spread of melanoma.
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, with over 70,000 new cases a year. Although basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers are much more common, melanoma is dangerous because it is more likely to spread, or metastasize. Current chemotherapy treatments can slow the metastasis of melanoma, however in its advanced stages the cancer usually becomes resistant to treatment. Through Gran Fondo funded research, professors and collaborators at MSU are able to focus on how to reduce metastasis of melanoma and improve the effectiveness of drug therapies as well as continue to study other skin cancers.
This year, participants will be cycling with special guests Christian Vande Velde, Brent Bookwalter, and Kikkan Randall. Lou will be riding the 40-mile course with members of the Providence Park Hospital Simulation team and MSU faculty. He is looking forward to exploring the Grand Rapids area on a bicycle, while supporting an increasingly important cause.
100% of all donations to the MSU Gran Fondo support MSU College of Human Medicine’s skin cancer awareness, prevention, and research. Additional information about the fundraiser, and how you can help can be found here.
