About the Event
Brain tumors are no laughing matter.. but sometimes laughter can be the best medicine.
The No Laughing Matter fundraising gala returned on Friday, October 14th, and it was a tremendous success. We laughed out loud with friends and supporters of all ages as we enjoyed the performances from our host Jordan Klepper, and stand-up comedians including Josh Gondelman, Ophira Eisenberg, and Roy Wood Jr. The event raised more than $550,000 for pediatric brain tumor research, but we hope you will consider helping us get to $600,000 by logging in to view the auction items still available, or making a donation if you haven't done so already.
This unique event is essential in supporting the important research of Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield and Dr. Mark Souweidane. They co-founded the Children's Brain Tumor Project at Weill Cornell Medicine to enable the scientific discovery of safer, more effective treatment options. Your support is critical to enabling this groundbreaking work toward improving outcomes for all children diagnosed with brain tumors. It is the support of our generous sponsors and ticket holders who bring HOPE to these children and their families.
Our Honorees
The Marsano Family
In 2019, the Marsano Family of Peru awarded $1.08 million to the Children's Brain Tumor Project in support of Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield's precision medicine initiative. The generous gift from the Patrick Bayly Marsano Foundation has enabled the lab to define individualized cancer therapies for children with rare and inoperable pediatric brain tumors.
The gift was made in memory of Patrick, who was ten years old when he lost his life to a rare pediatric brain tumor called gliomatosis cerebri (GC). The initiative has expanded the lab’s cellular and molecular precision medicine approach to pediatric brain tumor therapy, with a goal of establishing safe and curative patient-specific therapies for devastating pediatric brain tumors, including GC.
Thanks to the Marsano family, pediatric brain tumors resected at Weill Cornell Medicine get next-generation sequencing to identify new mutations specific to the patient, and create cell repositories and mouse models to test different targeted therapeutics. Following a comprehensive review of the genetics, cell biology, and pharmacogenomics of patient-specific tumors, a customized therapeutic regimen can be determined for each patient.
Pediatric brain tumors are the most common tumors found in children, and the most fatal. The Children’s Brain Tumor Project aims to improve the outcome for children with brain tumors by advancing scientific discovery and clinical research that focuses on targeted therapy, effective drug delivery and low treatment-related toxicity. Gifts such as this brings the team closer to cures.
Pictured above: Veronica Marsano with Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield. Photo credit: John Abbot
The Team
The Laugh-Out-Loud Lineup
Our comedic host, Jordan Klepper, will be joined by stand-up comic Roy Wood, Jr., of The Daily Show, improv sensation Raaaat Scraps, and other stand-up comics who will be volunteering their time to perform at the No Laughing Matter comedy night. The content is family-friendly, and we encourage all ages to join in on the fun.
The Event Committee
Dinner Chair Tara Lipton
Louis & Cindy Campbell ♦ Shirah Dunphy ♦ Kyle & Kelly Fisher ♦ Dr. Caitlin Hoffman ♦ Dr. Carrie Long Dana MacNaughton ♦ Anne McBride ♦ Mike and Emma Hill Minter ♦ Tessa Naso ♦ Kathleen O’Connell Tina Peloquin ♦ Anthony Trimarchi ♦ Pete & Mary Zappulla.
About the Beneficiary
The Children's Brain Tumor Project is a research initiative founded in 2012 by Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield and Dr. Mark Souweidane at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine.
The mission of the Children's Brain Tumor Project is to improve the outcome for children with brain tumors by advancing scientific discovery and clinical research that focuses on targeted therapy, effective drug delivery, and low treatment-related toxicity. The Children’s Brain Tumor Project has a single goal: to bring hope to children and their families who are confronted with the diagnosis of a rare and often incurable brain tumor.
Rare pediatric brain tumors have been grossly neglected in the research landscape for years, and the Children’s Brain Tumor Project at Weill Cornell Medicine has emerged as the go-to research entity that has established a niche in developing new protocols for treating these children. We believe children from all over the world should have access to innovative options beginning with world-class, minimally invasive surgery, and extending into targeted treatment options centered on precision medicine and drug delivery approaches that would not otherwise be available to them.
