Biotech News - TGen Foundation Announces Kristin Hornaday Fund

TGen Foundation Announces Kristin Hornaday Fund

Fund will help further TGen's Melanoma Research Programs

06-12-2006

Phoenix, Arizona, June 12, 2006--The TGen Foundation today announced
the creation of the Kristin Hornaday Fund for Melanoma Research.
Kristin, the daughter of RuthAnn and Tom Hornaday, lost her battle
with melanoma in June of 1993 at the age of 26.
Karen and Bill Clements, who are lifelong friends of the Hornadays,
started the fund, which has already raised over $65,000 to support
TGen's melanoma research programs.

Melanoma is the most dangerous and aggressive form of skin cancer.
The five-year survival rate for melanoma decreases dramatically
(from 96% to 12%) as the disease progresses from Stage I to Stage
IV. It kills more women aged 25-30 than any other cancer. Caught
early, melanoma has a cure rate of about 90%. However, there is no
proven standard therapy for high risk or advanced melanoma and no
new treatments have been introduced in thirty years.

Melanoma investigators at TGen are attacking familial and sporadic
melanoma on multiple fronts, furthering TGen's mission to develop
earlier diagnoses and smarter treatments. Research initiatives
include:

- Investigating how previously identified genes contribute to
melanoma progression.

- Studying large numbers of patient samples to improve the detection
of melanoma and identify previously unknown drug targets.

- Investigating a 100-gene region to identify a familial melanoma-
susceptibility gene.

"Generous people like the Hornadays and the Clements are helping
TGen to make an incredible impact on fighting terrible diseases such
as melanoma," said Michael Bassoff, president of the TGen
Foundation. "The Kristin Hornaday Fund for Melanoma Research will
enable our investigators to accelerate the research process and
bring breakthroughs to patients faster."

Kristin, nicknamed Kristi by her friends and family, brought joy to
all who knew her. She attended Xavier High School where she was
president of the student body. She graduated with honors from
Denison University in 1988 and was working in sales at IBM when she
was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 1990. During the next three
years she went though periods where she was thought to be cancer
free, only to have the cancer return. Outstanding physicians at some
of the world's most renowned cancer centers treated her. She married
Greg Garrett in November of 1992, but even this storybook romance
could not save her from metastatic melanoma.

"Everyone in our family suffered greatly with Kristi's battle with
melanoma and we want to help other families avoid similar trauma,"
said Mr. Hornaday.

For more information or to contribute, visit the Kristin Hornaday
Fund for Melanoma Research.

# # #

About the TGen Foundation
The TGen Foundation is a non-profit organization. All donations made
to the TGen Foundation will be used to fund TGen's research needs
for improving the health of humankind as we target new treatments,
therapies and cures for such diseases as autism, melanoma,
pancreatic cancer, brain tumors and diabetes. Donors may designate
their gift as a tribute, either in memory or honor of a friend or
family member. There are many other ways to also support the TGen
Foundation. To discuss specific options with a Foundation staff
member, please call (602) 343-TGEN (8436) or visit
http://www.helptgen.org.

About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a non-profit
501(c)(3) organization focused on developing earlier diagnostics and
smarter treatments. Translational genomics research is a relatively
new field employing innovative advances arising from the Human
Genome Project and applying them to the development of diagnostics,
prognostics and therapies for cancer, neurological disorders,
diabetes and other complex diseases. TGen's research is based on
personalized medicine. The institute plans to accomplish its goals
through robust and disease-focused research.

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