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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Upcoming Nightlight Tonight: On the Upper East Side, an Italian Feast to Support Brain Cancer Research

An Italian restaurant on Second Avenue, Sistina is a hidden gem in New York’s Upper East Side, most notable for its extensive wine selection and its refined cuisine.  Sistina is a Peachy's Pick:

But tonight the celebrated food and wine will take a rare backseat as diners turn their attention to something more serious: brain cancer in both adults and children.  Whom You Know cannot think of a more important cause to support, not only because we love Sistina, but also because Peachy's grandmother, pictured all over this site, passed away from brain cancer.

Brain cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children under age 20. An estimated 64,530 new cases of primary brain tumors—more than a third of which will be cancerous—are expected to be diagnosed this year alone.

Giuseppe Bruno, owner of Sistina, was inspired to host the event by his longtime friendship with Dr. Antonio Iavarone, a cancer researcher at Columbia University Medical Center and one of two physicians who will discuss his research at the dinner event. Bruno is also passionate about helping children, particularly those with serious health needs.

“I hope that we find a cure,” said Bruno. “Giving back and helping people is very important to me, but more important is helping children.” He is co-hosting the event with Marianne Mebane, head of the Mebane Foundation, a dedicated supporter of Columbia University Medical Center and a member of its Board of Visitors.

Funds raised by the intimate dinner will support the work of Dr. Iavarone and Dr. Anna Lasorella, both pediatricians and neurologists originally from Italy, who are seeking potential cures for pediatric and adult cancer.

The laboratories of Drs. Iavarone and Lasorella have made important recent breakthroughs that led to the identification of the molecular alterations that drive aggressiveness of pediatric and adult malignant brain tumors. Their groups are now exploiting this information to develop personalized therapies for brain tumor patients carrying specific genetic alterations.

Columbia’s interest in cancer research spans the past century, back to the founding of the Institute for Cancer Research in 1911. The Columbia University Medical Center is now one of the premier cancer research institutions in the nation. It is also one of only 41 comprehensive cancer centers in the country, as designated by the National Cancer Institute.

Sistina is located at 1555 Second Ave., between 80th and 81st Streets.

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Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest in the United States.

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