Team Borealis is gearing up for the 28th Annual Prouty Century Bike Ride & Challenge Walk and we need you to join our team! The 2009 Prouty will take place on Saturday, July 11, 2009. Proceeds from the event support cancer research and patient services at Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center, an Upper Valley institution that delivers global impact. The Prouty's fundraising goal for 2009 is $2,250,000 and in this tough year Team Borealis would like to surpass the $50,000 our team raised last year - but to do this we need you on the team!

Please note that there are a few options for participation. While most of Team Borealis will hit the road on bikes for the 20, 35, 50 and 100 mile loops, you may also choose to participate in one of a series of walks through the scenic Connecticut River Valley. These will range from 5K to 20K in length. And for those bikers looking for a sweeping tour of NH and VT- 2 days and 200 miles- please contact us about special registration instructions for our Prouty Ultimate Team.

An important addendum: Team Borealis IS NOT an exercise in exclusivity. We welcome team members of all ages and fitness levels. Also, if people in your network might be excited to be part of our action at The Prouty, please forward this email along to them. Special points toward Team Borealis logowear to those that recruit others! And all Team Borealis members are invited to a carb-loading cookout the night before we hit the road.

See below for information on registering for Team Borealis and The Prouty. And check out photos from last year's event.

And, of course, please feel free to contact any of us with questions about this great event.

We hope to see you in July!

To join our team please visit the Prouty website at: www.theprouty.org.

- From the home page click on the "Register Here" icon at the center of the page.
- After agreeing to a waiver, you will be asked to register as a Family or Individual - choose the Individual option.
- The following page will present 4 registration alternatives. Choose "Join a Team".
- A drop-down menu will appear that lists all of the teams registered for the event.
- From this list choose "Team Borealis" then press 'Continue'.
- A form allowing you to provide all of your personal information will complete the registration process.
- After you fill in the required information you will be added to the Team Borealis roster & you will have an individual URL created that you can send to friends, family and co- workers for quick and easy fundraising.

Success in fighting cancer often comes in very small steps. Through the Prouty Pilot Project Program (giving seed grants to young investigators to research novel ideas), scientists achieve these steps as a direct result of funding by The Prouty. Here we highlight two of them:

This from Charlie Brenner, PhD:
"The Brenner group discovered a new vitamin which has the potential to reduce the toxic effects of cancer chemotherapy. Prouty support is helping bring our new scientific discovery closer to clinical use."

This from Charles Sentman, PhD:
"These [data from Prouty Pilot Project] findings are being used to develop a novel treatment for ovarian cancer and other cancers. The idea is to genetically modify a patient's own immune cells so that they can now recognize & kill their tumor and activate their own immune system to help destroy the tumor. We are in the process of applying for FDA approval for a Phase I clinical trial, which is the first step for bringing this idea into the clinic to treat cancer and improve patients' lives."

To follow the progress on these or other specific projects, please go to www.cancer.dartmouth.edu and search on the name of the lead investigator to see recent publications from their research team.