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Gateway For Cancer Research Celebrates Milestone

CHICAGO (CBS) -- For 25 years, Chicago-based Gateway for Cancer Research has been funding breakthrough clinical trials.

"Gateway is an organization that funds clinical trials. We aim to find the most breakthrough, most innovative research to help people feel better, living longer and find some cures to conquer cancer right now," said Teresa Hall Bartels, Gateway President.

Gateways hosts Saturday the Great Gateway Cures gala at Navy Pier to celebrate 25 years of 'illuminating the way to cures.' The event has sold out, but the organization welcomes donations.

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The Great Gateway Cures Gala (Credit: Gateway for Cancer Research)

"This is a special year for us," Bartels said. "We're celebrating 25 years. Cancer touches everyone. When someone hears the words 'you have cancer,' it's devastating. What we hope to do is find better options for treatment, better ways people can cope."

Grammy winner David Foster, Michael Bolton, Peter Cetera and other musicians will be in attendance, celebrating and raising money for future cancer research.

1.5 million people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Two thirds of them can expect to survive because of research. Gateway has been funding trials around the world which have lead to significant strides in cancer care.

"Currently we are funding 57 clinical trials," Bartels said. "These are with patients at all the major cancer centers you can think of. We've done work with the University of Chicago, we currently have a trial going on at Northwestern."

One of Gateway's major breakthroughs in recent years include the development of what is know today as Herceptin, a targeted therapy for HER2 postive metastatic breast cancer.

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Gateway funds breakthrough clinical trials. (Credit: Gateway for Cancer Research)

"Its an incredible time for research," Bartels said. "We now have the capability to analyze the tumor genomically at the molecular level and the person's genetics and the treatment can be personalized so that each person's cancer is different and testing different ways to attacking that is possible because of the technology available."

For more information or to donate, log onto www.gatewaycr.org/

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