Latest news with #HuntsmanCancerInstitute
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sandy mom of six survives 15 years of blood cancer, helps other patients fight
SANDY, Utah () — A mom who fought, and won, a 15-year fight with blood cancer, created a nonprofit to ensure others battling cancer have a fighting chance, too. Jenny Ahlstrom, 57, was diagnosed with , a form of blood cancer, in 2010. Following her diagnosis, she was presented with a lot of options for treatment. 'It's really hard to figure out, as a patient, what to do,' Ahlstrom told ABC4. 'I was looking for strategies where I could get treated and not have to be treated for a long time.' A turning point in Ahlstrom's battle was receiving a known as CAR-T during clinical trials. The treatment, much like dialysis, included the removal of her blood cells, changing them in a lab, then infusing the cells back into her through an IV drip. 'Taking care of Jenny and taking care of her family… has just been remarkable,' Ahlstrom's doctor, Doug Sborov, said. 'Blessed and grateful': Teen survivor of West Valley murder-suicide graduates high school According to Sborov, an Associate Professor at the University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute, multiple myeloma is generally considered to be 'incurable.' However, with new research and medications, like CAR-T, physicians can drastically lengthen patients' lives and improve their quality of life. 'Here I am, three years later, completely disease free,' Ahlstrom said. 'She's provided patients an incredible opportunity to be educated. She's provided researchers, like myself, an incredible opportunity to engage with patients and really fundamentally change how we're approaching how we take care of these folks,' Sborov told ABC4. Jenny Ahlstrom raises awareness about available resources for blood cancer patients. (Courtesy Stacey Isaacs) Now, Ahlstrom leads a nonprofit called that raises awareness and increases access to vital data for researchers. 'If we're going to make advances in healthcare, we need to leapfrog forward in innovation,' Ahlstrom said. Ahlstrom says there are about 35,000 new diagnoses of myeloma every year and 150,000 living patients with myeloma. 'It's really amazing to bring these new types of therapy to these patients,' Ahlstrom said. 'It's available and it's here.' Trump to pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley Sandy mom of six survives 15 years of blood cancer, helps other patients fight Orem woman allegedly blocks driver, causing 'significant congestion' during road rage incident RFK Jr. ends COVID shot recommendation for healthy kids, pregnant women President Trump appears to lose patience with Putin Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
IOL News
09-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Through the lens of love: a journey of healing amid cancer
After Anna's annual checkup, she had a panic attack. Each year, her 'scanxiety' fluctuates, but it's worst when she experiences symptoms she can't explain and fears they could signal a recurrence. Image: Rathkopf family I was at work when the call came. The woman on the line from my doctor's office asked if I had five minutes, then casually told me she was sorry but that I had cancer. I glanced out the window, watching people walk, talk and carry on as if it were just a normal day. But for me, everything had changed. At that moment, I felt like I was already dead. My husband, Jordan, and I had just started talking about having a second child. Now, suddenly, that future was gone. I was 37 years old, and I would soon learn that even if I survived the cancer, the treatment would leave me infertile. The day after my diagnosis - later confirmed as triple-positive breast cancer - Jordan and I picked up our cameras. Photography has always been part of our lives, but now it became something more: a shield, a way to cope without words. We documented everything - the sterile waiting rooms, the narrow hospital corridors and the quiet moments at home - capturing our new reality as it unfolded. But we never shared our images with each other. Anna and Jesse reflected in a mirror. Image: Rathkopf family Our cameras helped us express our inner lives while concealing our pain. It's hard to talk about the most painful parts of life. Sometimes, words fail and silence takes their place. That's when photography stepped in. The result is the photos you see with this story, as well as a book we published in October. I started taking self-portraits. As treatment progressed, I no longer recognized myself. The more fractured I felt, the more people told me I was strong, even beautiful. But inside, I mourned my fertility. Chemotherapy had damaged the eggs in my ovaries, while Tamoxifen (which I still take) put me into an early menopause. The combined treatments stripped me of my ability to give my then-3½-year-old son, Jesse, a sibling, and I felt betrayed by my body. The loss created a wedge between Jordan and me. He, too, had wanted another child, but as he learned more about my cancer's aggressive nature, an unspoken fear crept in - what if he had to raise our son alone? That fear, paired with my grief, deepened the divide between us. Anna's body bandaged with ice after her lumpectomy. When she woke up from her surgery, still in a daze, she noticed her surgeon's initials signed onto her chest right above the area where her tumor had been removed. Image: Rathkopf family Conversations turned into arguments, so we stopped having them. Silence became our default. We explored adoption and foster care, but the process felt overwhelming. As the reality of not having another child set in, the emotional distance between us grew. A 2018 study by researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City found that young cancer survivors - ages 20 to 39 - 'were at an increased risk' of divorce and separation. 'The emotional and financial burdens of cancer may lead to marital stress for younger cancer survivors,' the researchers concluded. Infertility can add new layers of stress, tension and sometimes anger. Jordan and I experienced firsthand how illness can expose the deepest fractures in relationships - how emotional needs go unmet, not out of neglect but because neither partner knows how to reach the other through their pain. Anna's self-portrait as her chemotherapy treatments were beginning. She bought a variety of cheap wigs and never wore any of them except for portraits at home. Image: Rathkopf family
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Huntsman Cancer Institute breaks ground on new $400M Utah County cancer center
VINEYARD, Utah () — University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute broke ground on its second campus on Tuesday, celebrating how the $400 million project will improve access to care for Utah County cancer patients. Several hundreds of people attended the groundbreaking ceremony, with politicians, students, clinicians, scientists, and community members present. The event was held near the cancer center's new 19-acre site, situated in the Utah City community in Vineyard near Utah Lake. The new Utah County location will be approximately 272,000 square feet and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2028, according to the press release. The Huntsman Cancer Institute serves patients from Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana, as officials say it's 'the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Mountain West.' Patients from the Utah County area visited the cancer center in Salt Lake County more than 40,000 times last year. Officials are anticipating more than 55,000 visits to the new facility annually, saying it will likely save patients over two hours of travel time per visit. 'By expanding access to cutting-edge cancer care and research, especially for patients in Utah's rural and frontier communities, we're delivering on our promise to improve lives across the state and beyond,' U of U President Taylor Randall said. Gov. Spencer Cox said this new campus is in response to Utah's growing communities and 'will enhance lifesaving insights and innovations that will transform health here at home and around the world.' The new center will not only improve access for patients, but will also increase collaboration with students and professionals at the University of Utah, Utah Valley University, and Brigham Young University. The institute currently has 250 research teams studying cancer and touts discovering more genes for inherited cancers than any other cancer center. The new center will make room for additional research and clinical trials while providing a range of cancer services to patients. 'At the University of Utah, the research isn't just part of our mission—it's the engine that drives transformative change,' Randall said. 'The new Huntsman Cancer Institute in Vineyard represents a bold step toward realizing a future where cancer will be a thing of the past.' The total cost of the project is budgeted for $400 million, but only about 75% of the funding has been secured so far. Contributors from the Huntsman Family Foundation, the State of Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Flagship Companies, Woodbury Corporation, and several other companies, foundations, and families have donated to the new cancer center. Officials with the Huntsman Cancer Foundation said they are 'confident that their passionate community of donors will help complete the needed funding.' 'Huntsman Cancer Institute's vision in the new fields of research, such as DNA and immunotherapies, will help change cancer outcomes for a generation. Today, we make the investment that will shape the next generation of care and research and hopefully bring an end to cancer,' said Peter Huntsman, CEO of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
02-04-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Yunu Fosters Outstanding Innovation with NextGen Scientist Awards at Huntsman Cancer Institute Symposium
CARY, NORTH CAROLINA / ACCESS Newswire / April 2, 2025 / Yunu, creator of the industry's first end-to-end clinical trial imaging workflow platform supporting sites, CROs and pharma, was proud to sponsor the 2025 HCI Frontiers Symposium's NextGen Scientist Awards. This premier event, hosted by the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), occurred from February 17-19, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The symposium explored groundbreaking models in cancer care, screening, risk identification, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. As a pioneer in clinical trial imaging, Yunu is transforming the way pharmaceutical trial sponsors and cancer center sites conduct research. Yunu's mature and scalable cloud-based platform streamlines imaging workflows, enhances data accuracy, and accelerates decision-making in oncology trials, ensuring that promising treatments reach patients faster. Yunu's commitment to innovation directly supports the next generation of cancer therapies, making trials more accessible, efficient, and impactful. This year's award recipients, Abby Sartar and Mmadili Ilozumba, were selected for their significant contributions to advancing cancer research and care. Their pioneering work exemplifies the spirit of innovation that is shaping the future of patient-centered treatment. Dr. Abby Sartor's outstanding work examined how state legislation impacts access to biomarker testing for patients with gynecologic cancers. Her research brings insights into policy-driven disparities and opportunities for more equitable Mmadili Ilozumba's groundbreaking research focused on cancer disparities and treatment outcomes. Her work provides valuable insights that move us closer to addressing cancer treatment and survivorship inequities. The Huntsman Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, is renowned for its groundbreaking work in understanding cancer at its origins and developing targeted therapies that improve patient care. As one of Yunu's valued customers, Huntsman's dedication to innovation aligns closely with Yunu's mission to transform imaging in clinical trials with cutting edge technology, ensuring that breakthrough therapies are accessible to everyone. About Yunu: Yunu provides innovative imaging workflow and data management solutions designed to optimize clinical trial processes. By integrating advanced technologies, Yunu enables life sciences organizations to streamline imaging workflows, improve accuracy, and accelerate timelines. Yunu's platform supports clinical trials across various therapeutic areas, offering scalability and flexibility for organizations of all sizes. For more information, visit and follow us on LinkedIn or X @Yunu_Inc. Contact Information Lindsay Fleming Chief Marketing Officerpress@
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Happy anniversary! University of Utah celebrates 175 years
It's unlikely that University of Utah founding regent William Ivans Appleby — 175 years ago — envisioned legions of laptop-toting students hustling from class to class across today's sprawling, 1,500-plus acre campus. And Appleby's mind's eye surely never witnessed lifesaving medical research being performed at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Or modern dance, music and comedy being performed on the Kingsbury Hall stage. Or student-entrepreneurs launching start-ups at the business school's Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. The founding regent never knew the names of future University of Utah alums such as Pulitzer Prize-winning writers Wallace Stegner or Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, astronauts Don Lind and Jake Garn, Pixar co-founder Edwin Catmull; or heart surgery pioneers William DeVries and Latter-day Saint President Russell M. Nelson. And Appleby surely never envisaged 50,000-plus crimson-clad Ute football fans squeezing into Rice-Eccles Stadium and going wild on crisp November afternoons during Big 12 gridiron battles. But William Ivan Appleby's words — recorded in 1850 — reveal a clear vision of today's University of Utah: 'We wish … (to) lay the foundation of a glorious institution …, where knowledge may be disseminated in all its various branches, where literature, arts and sciences can be taught in all their present perfection and improved thereon.' It's a historic moment up on The Hill: The University of Utah's demisemiseptcentennial. (That's a fancy word for 175th anniversary.) On Feb 28, 1850, the University of Utah (chartered as the University of Deseret) was founded under the direction of Latter-day Saint prophet Brigham Young — becoming the first state university west of the Missouri River. An auspicious desire that began a 175 years ago to build a serious institution of higher learning in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountain is still evolving, said University of Utah President Taylor Randall. 'The work of our founders is the bedrock for the student-focused teaching, innovative research, world-class healthcare and thoughtful service performed every day by our campus community,' declared the school's 17th president in a university statement. When the University of Deseret was founded in 1850, it was led by Randall's distant presidential ancestor, chancellor Orson Spencer, who had been the president of the University of Nauvoo, according to Fred Esplin, a retired University of Utah vice president who spent over four decades at the school. 'When the University of Deseret was originally established, it met in the John Pack home in downtown Salt Lake City — and a replica of that home is in the This is the Place Heritage Park,' said Esplin. The tiny school's charter student body included 25 students — and tuition was $8 for the quarter, according to the university. Private donations supported teacher salaries and supplies. Some interesting University of Deseret trivia, revealing the institution's earliest impulse to innovate: It produced a primer of the Deseret alphabet — a phonetic writing system developed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help immigrants and children learn English. Alas, continual operations at the original iteration of what would later be known as the University of Utah were relatively short-lived. 'The University of Deseret went into hibernation in 1853 because of the difficult economic situation, the Walker War, and the (Utah Territory's) emerging conflict with the federal government,' said Esplin. Several years later, Brigham Young 'brought it back into being' with the 1869 appointment of John R. Park as the University of Deseret's first official president. President Park, noted Esplin, 'was arguably the intellectual father of the University of Utah — an Ohio man from Ohio Wesleyan University that had a medical degree from NYU.' Park had settled in Utah in 1861 and became a Latter-day Saint a year later. He was elected Utah Superintendent of Education in 1895. The school's forward-thinking leader also established branches in areas across the state, including one in Provo — the Timpanogos Branch — that would later become Brigham Young Academy and, eventually, Brigham Young University, noted Esplin. The fledgling institution of higher education was housed for several years in the Council House on the corner of Salt Lake City's Main Street and South Temple before moving, in 1884, into its very own building called Union Square, located at the current location of West High School (241 N. 300 West). 'By 1886, they were awarding degrees, and they organized the alumni association and so forth,' said Esplin. In 1892, the school was formally renamed the University of Utah — and the Utah Territorial Legislature petitioned Congress for 60 acres to be utilized for a new campus. That request was granted in 1894, landing the university on the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley where it operates today. Some key Utah/University of Utah history: In the mid-19th century, the federal government claimed land that would become the Fort Douglas Reservation. That land provided the basis for the current University of Utah campus and Research Park. 'That's significant because of most urban universities don't have a campus like the University of Utah does,' Esplin observed. In its effort to secure statehood, territory leader separated its public eduction system from the church, and the institution became a secular school. Utah became a state in 1896. The Univeristy of Utah's global identity as an institution of scientific inquiry and research is intrinsically linked to the influence of its early leaders, beginning with the medically-trained John R. Park, and continuing through subsequent presidents such as James E. Talmage and John A. Widtsoe — both scientists and academics who would later became Latter-day Saint apostles. 'At the time, there was a lot of tension between science and religion — and James Talmadge and John Widtsoe didn't see that,' said Esplin, 'They really built up the sciences at the University of Utah, and laid a strong foundation.' Those science-driven campus sensibilities further evolved with scientists/university presidents such as A. Ray Olpin and James C. Fletcher. During the Olpin administration, the University of Utah enjoyed historic growth in the years following World War II as veterans began utilizing the GI Bill and baby boomers began reaching college age. Olpin led major efforts to expand the university — and the campus quadrupled in size during his time in office, according to the university. Nearly 200 buildings and 450 acres of land were acquired from Fort Douglas. Olpin started a 10-year building program in which 30 buildings were completed — including the Merrill Engineering Building, several dorm buildings and student family housing and the Union Building, which was named after him. Fletcher, meanwhile, would go on to become the administrator of NASA. During World War II, the university developed a four-year medical program that today is the multidisciplinary Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. One of the medical school's first leaders was Dr. Maxwell Wintrobe, a Jewish physician. 'At that time, there was a lot of discrimination against Jewish faculty members at some of the better schools back East,' said Esplin. 'Wintrobe, very successfully, hired a number of brilliant Jewish professors physicians to come out to Utah. ... We developed a really, really good faculty in the School of Medicine because the University of Utah was open to hiring Jewish faculty members, quite frankly.' The school's research chops would blossom into what it is today — fueled by academics and visionaries such as the chemist Henry Eyring and the molecular geneticist Mario Capecchi, who would claim the 2007 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. The university's medical school enjoys acclaim in its leading-edge research in fields such as the genetics of disease, cancer, biomedical informatics and infectious diseases. Meanwhile, the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah is recognized as worldwide leader for its broad efforts to understand cancer, discover breakthroughs, and improve lives. Beyond its deepening scientific and academic footprint, the 175-year-old University of Utah has played an elemental role in the region's cultural landscape. Many of the state's performing arts institutions enjoy connections to to the University of Utah — including the Utah Symphony, Ballet West, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Pioneer Theatre Company. 'And, of course, you still have the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Fine Arts — and you have public broadcasting, which began under Olpin in the 1950s at the University of Utah,' said Esplin. For many Utahns, their multigenerational tie to the University of Utah is linked to Ute athletics. 'Chris Hill, the former athletic director, called athletics the 'Front door of the university',' said Esplin. 'The main connection at the University of Utah, for most people in the state, is either athletics or the health sciences.' Despite being relatively hidden in the Mountain West, Ute athletes have often punched above their institutional weight — claiming national titles and now competing in the Big 12 Conference, a so-called Power Four conference. Of course no institution can advance for 175 year without encountering a few bumps, roadblocks and detours. One of the 'huge challenges' for higher education institutions today, said Esplin, 'Is that the relative share of state funding, nationwide, has decreased — and the cost of tuition has gone up. It's made it increasingly difficult for students to find their way through.' It's impossible to operate a massive, research-anchored institution on the cheap — and securing cash will continue to be one of the school's primary challenges moving forward. Utah's Legislature is considering a bill to withhold a sizable amount of state funds from the University of Utah — along with the other public colleges — until is formulates a detailed reallocation plan in the coming months. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health recently announced plans to modify its federal grant procedures at medical research institutions such as the University of Utah. The new policy could draw millions away from campus research. But like many of his predecessors, Randall is determined to take an innovative lead in higher education and research — and emerge from the challenges of the day. For example, the university recently hired Manish Parashar to be its first-ever 'AI czar' to direct the school's various artificial intelligence initiatives. The school, added Randall, also intends to further invest in the school's nuclear engineer program and enhance campus opportunities in the field of genetics. Much of the school's future reallocation efforts directed by the Legislature, he added, will go to increasing the university's pool of STEM graduates. Speaking recently to Utah lawmakers, the university's 17th president echoed the visionary words uttered 175 years ago by founding regent Appleby. 'We hope that our vision today,' said Randall, 'is one that takes those initial thoughts from those initial founders and actually accelerates them.'
