In the News | Research Stories

The Haslam 3 Foundation Donates $2 Million to Pelotonia for Cancer Research

| July 23, 2024

Investment will fuel Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) research at the OSUCCC—James

COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 23, 2024) – Pelotonia today announced a $2 million donation from Dee and Jimmy Haslam and The Haslam 3 Foundation to accelerate the scientific research on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), supporting Pelotonia’s mission of ending cancer.

“I love Pelotonia’s mission and it is an honor to be able to positively impact their efforts,” said Dee Haslam. “We have all been touched by cancer and that is why awareness and research is so important. The way that Pelotonia brings the entire community together for such a critical cause has been tremendous and we are inspired by their transformative work.”

Dee and Jimmy Haslam are managing partners of Haslam Sports Group, a sports and entertainment group with ownership of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, operating rights to Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, co-ownership of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and investors in the WNBA. The Haslam 3 Foundation is the family’s philanthropic foundation which gives back to community organizations in Ohio and Tennessee.

“Pelotonia offers hope for so many people impacted by cancer, including my own family,” said Haslam. “Everyone is affected by cancer. My hope is more and more people get involved in Pelotonia – whether they ride on their bikes or make donations. I get excited thinking about all of the ways you can participate. I hope our gift inspires others to support Pelotonia as well.”

This donation will directly fund CLL research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC—James) as well as operational support for Pelotonia, adding The Haslam 3 Foundation as a new funding partner. Pelotonia’s funding partners allow the organization to direct 100 percent of every participant-raised dollar to innovative cancer research.

“As I’ve spent time with Dee and Jimmy over the last few years, they were eager to understand how Pelotonia was making such a big impact not only on research but in engaging the community in such meaningful ways. They wanted to be a part of it,” said Doug Ulman, Vice Chair of the Pelotonia Board and cancer survivor.

“I’ve been honored to get to know them as people. It’s clear they are big thinkers and have a vision for the difference they want to make. The collective Columbus community is grateful for their impact on our city and beyond. We are thankful to have the Haslams as part of the Pelotonia community and for their investment in furthering our mission of ending cancer.”

Investment for CLL Patients Today and the Future

CLL is a cancer involving a type of white blood cell called a B lymphocyte which affects the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes. The most common form of adult leukemia in the Western Hemisphere, CLL accounts for about one-quarter of new cases of leukemia in the U.S., and the average person’s risk of a CLL diagnosis is about 1 in 175.

“I have a family member with CLL who is very symptomatic and know others who are fighting through this disease, so my hope is that our investment through Pelotonia helps the research for CLL treatment go quicker,” said Haslam.

“I learned that Pelotonia-funded research at the OSUCCC—James is working to find new and novel therapies for CLL. Doug and Pelotonia made the introduction for us to Dr. Woyach and Ohio State. It was remarkable to learn about the CLL expertise and breakthroughs in treatments right in our backyard in Columbus. Getting to know Dr. Woyach is such a gift. CLL is her passion; it’s what drives her. If you’re going to invest in research for something that you really care about, you want it to be done by someone with the background and qualifications that she has.”

The Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies Research Program at the OSUCCC—James, a global leader in research and treatment for hematologic cancers including CLL, is the recipient of this Pelotonia funding from the Haslam 3 Foundation. Jennifer Woyach, MD, a hematologist-oncologist at the OSUCCC—James, professor in the Division of Hematology, and co-leader of the Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies Research Program, will lead the work. Woyach is a Pelotonia-funded researcher through both an Idea Grant and Fellow, who was named Pelotonia’s 2021 Researcher of the Year for her exemplary work in CLL research and patient care.

“At the OSUCCC—James, we are very excited to use this investment both to strengthen our current work in advancing CLL research and to allow us to go into new directions to benefit CLL patients,” said Woyach. “There has been remarkable progress in CLL over the past decade, but there remain areas of unmet clinical need. This funding will help us launch clinical trials for frontline CLL to try to optimize therapy for all patients. As well, we are expanding our research program in immunotherapy for CLL, and this funding will greatly accelerate this work.”

Advancements in CLL Treatment with Pelotonia Funding

The American Cancer Society estimates 20,700 Americans will be diagnosed with CLL in 2024 and about 4,440 will die from CLL. While incurable, new targeted drugs – including ibrutinib, acalabrutinib and other versions of this targeted therapy that work by inhibiting a protein essential for the growth and spread of CLL cells – make it manageable to live with CLL.

A $100,000 Pelotonia Idea Grant in 2013 helped fund the groundbreaking clinical trials that resulted in the development of ibrutinib, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2014. Approved for use in 100 countries, ibrutinib has been used to treat more than 270,000 patients worldwide and has dramatically changed the prognosis, rate of remission and quality of life for CLL patients. Acalabrutinib, a second-generation version of this targeted therapy that minimizes side effects, was approved by the FDA in 2019. Both breakthrough CLL therapies were developed largely through research by the OSUCCC—James scientists and physicians, including Dr. Woyach and her team, with Pelotonia funding support.

“Pelotonia has been instrumental in the transformation of CLL treatment. The philanthropy that fuels Pelotonia allows us to do novel work that otherwise wouldn’t be funded,” said Woyach. “Pelotonia enables research with higher risk but higher reward. In this case, the risk really paid off and we have the reward of great therapies for patients at The James and around the world.”

One patient who was enrolled in a clinical trial involving ibrutinib then later acalabrutinib was Raphael Pollock, MD, PhD, FACS, who is a surgical oncologist at The James, Director of the OSUCCC and Pelotonia Board Member. Dr. Pollock credits his survivorship to these targeted therapies that were not available to CLL patients a decade ago.

“As a cancer surgeon and CLL survivor, I am humbled by this donation from the Haslam 3 Foundation to Pelotonia that will help discover the next frontiers in CLL treatment,” said Pollock. “I am deeply grateful to the Haslam family and The Haslam 3 Foundation for their investment in this critical science. Philanthropic donations power cancer research and lead to breakthroughs like the CLL treatment that saved my life.”

Future of CLL Treatment through Research

The focus for the future of CLL treatment is in creating more novel therapies that are better targeted to a patient’s individual cancer. Under Dr. Woyach’s leadership, the OSUCCC—James is positioned to continue to make significant advancements in CLL research by exploring areas that include overcoming patient resistance to therapies, working with companies to test new therapies preclinically, performing lab work to identify novel targets and studying new immune therapies. This critical research that aims to improve outcomes and quality of life for CLL patients today and that will be diagnosed in the future is accelerated through Pelotonia funding and donations like this from The Haslam 3 Foundation.

“The beautiful thing about Pelotonia is that the community can participate in ways most meaningful to them. Not only is CLL deeply personal to the Haslam family but it is a very promising area of cancer research in which the OSUCCC—James is a global leader,” said Ulman. “We could not be more grateful for the incredible support of Dee, Jimmy and the Haslam 3 Foundation. This donation is going to change and save lives.”

To learn more about the impact of Pelotonia dollars, including the work of The Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, visit pelotonia.org/impact and pelotonia.org/institute.

Watch the video announcement on the Pelotonia YouTube channel!

In the News | Research Stories

Pelotonia Kids Launches in Collaboration with the OSUCCC – James to Accelerate Pediatric Cancer Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

| May 29, 2024

Series of Youth Cycling Events will Engage Next Generation of Pelotonia Participants

COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 29, 2024) – Pelotonia today announced the launch of Pelotonia Kids, a series of kids cycling events to engage the next generation of Pelotonia participants. In collaboration with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC—James), 100 percent of every Pelotonia Kids participant-raised dollar will be directed to innovative pediatric cancer research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The program launches with five kids ride events beginning in June with plans to add more this year. Each will be organized by Pelotonia community volunteers with assistance provided by the organization, including planning resources, equipment rentals, merchandise and promotional support. Events will vary in participant ages, route distances and venue locations.

Prior to this launch, children under 14 years old could register to fundraise as Challengers but were unable to participate as Riders in Pelotonia’s annual cycling events, Ride Weekend and Gravel Day. This new program gives children the opportunity to participate in Pelotonia event experiences through both fundraising and cycling at a younger age.

“Children in the Pelotonia community are among our most enthusiastic spectators and fundraisers, and the launch of Pelotonia Kids gives them the opportunity to be more actively engaged participants,” said Joe Apgar, Pelotonia CEO and cancer survivor.

“Pelotonia Kids is a collaboration with two of the most renowned hospitals and research centers in the U.S. We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside both the OSUCCC – James and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, who are leading the way in scientific research and care to save and extend the lives of cancer patients, including children.”

Funds will be directed to research that could improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for pediatric cancer patients by leading investigators and physicians at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The OSUCCC—James has a collaborative agreement with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to broaden the study of childhood cancer and accelerate the transfer of key research findings to the clinical setting. The relationship between institutions is stimulating novel research and developing collaborations in pediatric cancer-related studies that will also have applications to adults.

“The OSUCCC—James is proud to collaborate with Pelotonia to launch youth cycling experiences for a meaningful impact on creating a cancer-free world,” said Raphael Pollock, MD, PhD, director of OSUCCC and cancer survivor. “Breakthroughs in science happen faster when there is a shared goal and collaboration. Pelotonia Kids leverages the long-standing relationship between the OSUCCC—James and Nationwide Children’s Hospital to accelerate research on innovative and alternative treatments for childhood cancer patients and survivors.”

There are more than 500,000 childhood cancer survivors in the U.S., and 47 children are newly diagnosed with cancer every day. Through research advancements, prognoses have improved dramatically for some pediatric cancer types and cancer mortality rates among children have decreased in recent decades. However, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children today, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,800 kids each year in the U.S.

“Not only will this collaboration with the OSUCCC—James and Pelotonia create a fun, new program, it will make a real difference in the lives of children,” said Tim Robinson, Nationwide Children’s Hospital CEO. “Pelotonia Kids will help accelerate Nationwide Children’s groundbreaking research, making an impact on patients in central Ohio and around the world.”

Though critically needed, childhood cancer research is significantly underfunded by the federal government. Organizations like Pelotonia help address that gap through investing in innovative ideas and talented researchers that may otherwise go unfunded. Pelotonia Kids dollars may go toward accelerating clinical research as well as studies on the psychosocial factors of pediatric cancer. The Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is part of The Abigail Wexner Research Institute, one of the top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities.

Prior to this launch, Pelotonia community teams have hosted youth rides as fundraising events. Four existing rides are returning in 2024 within the new Pelotonia Kids program, and the fundraising done by participating children will now go toward research for childhood cancers.

“The many community members who have supported the original kids rides within the Pelotonia community used creativity and intention to engage youth in fundraising. Their efforts laid the foundation for this new Pelotonia Kids platform, inspiring our youngest advocates to take action in advancing our mission of ending cancer,” said Apgar.

“We look forward to seeing others embrace this experience as new hosts step up to organize kids rides and bring the grassroots Pelotonia experience to children across various communities.”

Youth participants can register for 2024 Pelotonia Kids rides at pelotoniakids.com, including:

June 15: Pedal for Pancakes, Capital University in Bexley (hosted by Team Bexley)
July 6: Pelotonia Kids UA, Jones Middle School in Upper Arlington (hosted Sarah Jane and Paul Germain)
July 27: SpokesKIDS Jr., Wildwood Park in Granville (hosted by Team Granville Spokesmen for a Cure peloton members)
July 27: SpokesKIDS, Newark to Granville (hosted by Team Granville Spokesmen for a Cure peloton members)
TBA: Building Brighter Futures, Plain City (hosted by M/I Homes, Inc.)

Donors can give to Pelotonia Kids to support innovative pediatric cancer research at pelotoniakids.com.

In the News | Research Stories

15 Years of Impact: The 2023 Impact Report

| November 29, 2023

To the incredible Pelotonia community,

Thank you for an amazing first fifteen years of the Pelotonia movement.

We are honored to share the 2023 Pelotonia Annual Report — 15 Years of Impact with you today.

This report summarizes not only the impact of the Pelotonia community but also the impact of your individual efforts. Your passion and commitment to our shared One Goal has fueled progress, driven breakthroughs, and saved lives.

Whether you have participated in Pelotonia once or have ridden every mile of every ride, this report reflects your selfless dedication to ending cancer.

Whether you have volunteered at a rest stop or behind the scenes bringing Ride Weekend to life, this report is only possible because of your heroic efforts.

Whether you have donated to support a friend, cheered on riders along the Pelotonia route, attended a community event, or bought Pelotonia merchandise, this report highlights what has been made possible as a result of your generosity.

Your time, talent, and treasure have created a massive impact fueling transformational cancer research and you represent what is possible when we give 100% and come together as a community.

Please enjoy learning more about the results of your leadership and we hope you will share this with those who have supported your participation.

One Goal,

Doug Ulman, Chief Executive Officer

Joe Apgar, President