your sides, Adam, Benini and Ad.
Part of what we like to do every
year is celebrate the scientific
successes here at Roswell Park.
And man, this year there's a big one.
It's a story I've had a privilege to cover,
Michael, over the last 15 years or so.
This is the third time I've covered it.
It's a very innovative brain
cancer vaccine called Cervaxam.
It's been gaining it developed
right here at Roswell Park.
Research created right here,
but it's gaining national.
And even worldwide attention.
NBC Nightly News did a feature t
last week and all made possibley
funds raised from this very eve.
John Wishman was living a full
and active life well into his
late 50s successful career,
family spending quality time
with his daughters Jordan
and Lydia Homes in Buffalo,
Southern Ontario and Florida whn
he suddenly started having seiz.
An MRI was done when they coulde
what was happening. And I was l.
It was It was the early stage,
early stage of glioblastoma,
the most common aggressive and
deadly form of brain cancer,
with an average survival
time of about 15 months.
I volunteered for this problem, the Cervax
Cervax MA vaccine that's been in
existence for close to 15 years and was
developed by doctors Robert Feno
Maker and Mike Sachelski of Roswell Park.
It allows the immune system distinguish.
The tumor from the patient
with very promising results ovee
years to the point now where Phase 2B of
its clinical trial has expanded to 10
of the top cancer centers nationally.
We're really at the stage now we
we're trying to accelerate thins
and then get this drug to paties
even faster and so far so good
enough perhaps to convince
the FDA. We would hope
so, full FDA approval,
a bar that set extremely high,
but recent results in the study
suggested could be within reach.
To what extent have you seen
lives extended? So. So we've
seen about a doubling of surviv.
That's been the case for John Wishman,
whose daughter Lydia is now
a nurse at Roswell Park.
He's living very close to a normal life,
nearly 32 months after being diagnosed. I'm
doing my job and I'm doing the improvements
in my daughter's home. Oh, yes
and yes. Phase two of the study saw 16
patients survive four years or longer
with one still alive after six years.
How significant is that given te
nature of a diagnosis of glioblastoma?
Yeah, glioblastoma survival
is only about 14-15 months.
So to say that you're alive five
years after that is pretty impressive.
And so as they near the finish ,
that is full FDA approval, theyy
they often reflect on the start.
Funds raised from events like te
Ride for Roswell directly contributed
to getting this thing off the
ground that that's so true.
I mean we could we would not be where
we are today without the support from
the Ride for Roswell and the community
support that we've received fro.
That's really the seed funding t
ignites the fuse on projects like this.
More than $70 million raised ovr
the rides 28 year history that's
made such a difference for patis
like John Wishman and so many os
that I know that.
There's a lot that's been
done here historically,
and it just keeps happening.
It's fantastic when
you think about just how much
money can be raised to do trials
like the one you're in and to fd
so many different things that ae
going on here without the donor,
you couldn't do that.
And we mentioned earlier Michae,
$70 million raised from this evt
alone and it's 28 year history.
I was talking with Doctor Fence to Maker.
Four and a half million dollars
went to serve action and really
helped get that off the ground.
It's a big part of the reason
the community support that that
vaccine is coming to existence.
And a big part of the reason
why continues to show so much
promise. Incredible story when
people ask where does the money.
That's a great example of it right there.
Adam Benini. Adam, thank you.
We'll check in with you at the podium and
our live coverage in just a few minutes.