Avon awards Kimmel Cancer Center more than $1 million for breast cancer research and support

This past weekend, the Avon Foundation held its 14th annual event in Washington, D.C. to raise funds for breast cancer research and education. More than 1,900 participants from 41 states and Washington, D.C. walked 39.3 miles in the AVON 39 The Walk to End Breast Cancer. Of the total $4.8 million raised during the weekend event, the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center was awarded $750,000 for research, patient navigation and a retreat for metastatic breast cancer patients. Kimmel Cancer Center scientist Sara Sukumar, Ph.D., won a $300,000 grant to study a gene called HOXA5, which acts as a tumor suppressor in normal breast cells. She'll study what goes awry in the gene to lift the brakes on tumor suppression, making breast cells turn cancerous. Josh Lauring, M.D., Ph.D., and Sukumar, who are members of the Breast Cancer Program, accepted the awards at the event. Were you at the event? Tell us your story.