MDS Pharma Services Announces Sponsorship of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
13 November 2007 - 2:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MDS Pharma
Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and
development solutions, has become a major corporate sponsor of the
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and its work to fight childhood
cancer. According to the US National Institutes of Health, cancer
is the second leading cause of childhood death after accidents in
the United States. This corporate sponsorship reflects MDS Pharma
Services' long-standing therapeutic focus on oncology research. It
also fits with the MDS Pharma Services' brand promise of on-time
delivery to expedite drug discovery and development, a promise
which aligns with the Foundation's focus on curing childhood
cancer. Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation is a unique organization
that traces its roots back to July 2000, when a four-year-old
cancer patient sold lemonade in her front yard to raise money for
pediatric cancer research. For the next four years, despite
deteriorating health, Alexandra (Alex) Scott set up a lemonade
stand annually and inspired others to do the same. By the time she
passed away at the age of eight in August 2004, Alex had raised
more than $1 million. The foundation that bears her name continues
her vision of "fighting childhood cancer, one cup at a time." By
September of this year, the Foundation had raised more than $15
million for childhood cancer research. It provides grants to
support basic oncology research, career development for oncology
researchers, and improved availability of new treatments. "MDS
Pharma Services is proud to be the first contract research
organization to become a major corporate sponsor of the Alex's
Lemonade Stand Foundation," said MDS Pharma Services President
David Spaight. "Our sponsorship puts a human face on the work we do
to support oncology drug discovery and development. The possibility
of contributing to advances in treatments for cancer and other
diseases inspires our MDS Pharma Services team every day." This
sponsorship will support two Foundation grant programs: The
Pediatric Oncology Program Infrastructure Awards and the Young
Investigator Awards. The first program provides funding to hire
support personnel to expedite enrollment of children with cancer in
clinical trials. The second program provides start-up funds to
allow new researchers and physicians to pursue promising avenues of
investigation. To date, the Foundation has funded more than 42
pediatric cancer research projects at 30 US institutions. "We know
what a difference new advances in cancer research can make; they
gave Alex four extra years of life and inspired her to start
raising money to help other children with difficult-to-treat
cancers," said Alex's mother, Elizabeth Scott, who runs the Alex's
Lemonade Stand Foundation with her husband Jay. "MDS Pharma
Services is contributing to such advances through its sponsorship
of the Foundation and the work that its employees do every day.
Together, our organizations are offering hope and the gift of time
to children with cancer." In addition to supporting two of the
Foundation's grant programs, MDS Pharma Services will encourage
employees at its more than three dozen locations around the world
to set up Alex's Lemonade Stands in 2008. Employees will be
encouraged to take part in the Foundation's Fifth Annual Lemonade
Days from June 6 through 8. During these Lemonade Days, an
estimated 10,000 volunteers are expected to organize more than
1,000 Alex's Lemonade Stands coast to coast in the United States.
Visit http://www.alexslemonade.org/ to learn more about the Alex's
Lemonade Stand Foundation. About MDS Pharma Services MDS Pharma
Services is retooling key parts of its operations to deliver
on-time performance. The business offers a full spectrum of
resources to meet the drug discovery and development needs of the
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With numerous
facilities strategically located around the world, we apply
advanced scientific and technological expertise throughout the drug
discovery and development process - from lead optimization, pre-IND
research, early clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa)
and bioanalysis through to global clinical development (phases
IIb-IV), central lab and centralized cardiac services. For more
information, visit our website at http://www.mdsps.com/. MDS Pharma
Services is a business unit of MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ), a
global life sciences company that provides market-leading products
and services that our customers need for the development of drugs
and diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading global
provider of pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for
molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments.
MDS has more than 6,200 highly skilled people in 28 countries. Find
out more at http://www.mdsinc.com/ or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24
hours a day. DATASOURCE: MDS Pharma Services CONTACT: For
Investors: Sharon Mathers, (416) 675-6777 ext. 34721, ; For Media:
Charlene McGrady, (610) 239-7900 ext. 231,
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