CARE 2026 Fundraising Results

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A Year of Remarkable Impact

At CARE, our mission is to raise vital funds from our Desert Mountain community, corporate sponsors, and local businesses to support innovative cancer research projects conducted at the Mayo Clinic AZ and HonorHealth Research Institute.

Thanks to your incredible generosity, CARE donated $882,000 this year—directly fueling groundbreaking research aimed at improving cancer treatment and survival outcomes.

At HonorHealth Research Institute we are funding two projects:

#1) Advancing Breakthroughs in Rare Cancers: Uveal Melanoma and Rare Sarcomas

Rare cancers like uveal melanoma (a cancer of the eye) and certain sarcomas are especially challenging because they are not well understood and have very limited treatment options. This project aims to change that by taking an unprecedented deep dive into how these cancers actually work at a biological level—and using that knowledge to identify new, more effective treatments.

Understanding the “Blueprint” of These Cancers
They will study stored tumor samples from patients using some of the most advanced technologies available today. In simple terms, they are analyzing these cancers from every possible angle—their DNA, how their genes are turned on and off, the proteins they produce, and how they use energy to grow.

Turning Discoveries into New Treatments
At the same time, this project is actively working to develop new therapies based on early discoveries. Researchers are focusing on a specific cancer-driving target (called RASGRP3) and are designing drugs to block or eliminate it.

Funding these projects represents a powerful opportunity to:

• Unlock the underlying biology      of these cancers 
• Identify new drug targets 
• Accelerate the development of      more effective, personalized therapies

“This is exactly the kind of high-impact, early-stage research that CARE was created to fund.”

#2) Understanding and Preventing Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is increasingly affecting younger adults—often without warning and before routine screening begins. This project is focused on understanding why this is happening and how we can detect risk earlier, personalize prevention, and improve outcomes.

Finding Early Warning Signs (Biomarkers)
One of the biggest challenges in colorectal cancer is identifying who is at risk beforethe disease develops or progresses. This research focuses on discovering measurable “biomarkers”—biological signals in the body—that can help predict risk and guide earlier screening and intervention.

Researchers will study groups of individuals across a spectrum of risk, including:

• People with inherited genetic risk 
• Patients with early warning signs like advanced polyps 
• Individuals already diagnosed  with colorectal cancer 
• Younger adults under 40 with obesity (an emerging risk group) 
• Healthy individuals with low risk 

By comparing these groups, the team aims to uncover patterns in immune function and DNA repair—two critical systems that help protect the body from cancer.

Why This Matters
Early-onset colorectal cancer is one of the most concerning and rapidly evolving trends in cancer today. Younger patients often face delayed diagnoses and more aggressive disease.

This project is designed to change that by:

• Identifying who is at risk earlier than ever before 
• Developing tools to personalize screening and prevention 
• Creating a new model for how we study and treat cancer in younger adults 

“Our goal is simple but urgent: to catch this disease earlier—or prevent it entirely—for the next generation.”

Mayo Clinic Arizona - CARE is funding three transformational cancer research projects

#1) Making Breakthrough Immunotherapy Safer and More Effective for Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that, despite major advances, remains incurable. In recent years, a new class of treatments—called immunotherapy—has dramatically improved outcomes for many patients, especially those with advanced disease.

One of the most promising approaches targets a protein on cancer cells known as BCMA. These therapies, including CAR-T cell therapy and bispecific antibodies, can produce remarkable results—sometimes eliminating detectable cancer altogether.

Why This Matters
This project focuses on two of the most urgent needs in cancer care today: making breakthrough treatments safer and ensuring they continue to work over time.

The impact could be profound:

• Safer, more predictable use of life-saving immunotherapies 
• Earlier detection of  treatment resistance 
• More personalized and effective care for patients 

Importantly, these insights may extend beyond multiple myeloma, helping improve immunotherapy approaches for many other cancers in the future.

“These therapies are already transforming lives—this project ensures we can use them more safely, more effectively, and for more patients.”

#2) Unlocking Why Melanoma Spreads to the Brain—and How to Stop It

When melanoma spreads to the brain, it becomes one of the most life-threatening forms of cancer. In fact, brain metastases are responsible for the majority of melanoma-related deaths. 

While today’s treatments—especially immunotherapy—can be highly effective elsewhere in the body, they often don’t work as well in the brain. Even when they do, the benefit is often short-lived, with the cancer adapting and returning.

This project focuses on a critical question:  Why do these treatments fail in the brain—and how can we fix that?

Why This Matters- Brain metastases remain one of the biggest unmet challenges in cancer care. This project represents a fundamentally new way of understanding—and treating—these tumors.

The potential impact includes:

• More durable responses to treatment 
• Fewer relapses in the brain 
• Improved  survival and quality of life for patients 

“This project doesn’t just study tumors—it maps them in a way that finally explains why treatments fail, and how we can make them work.”

#3 A New Target for Immunotherapy Resistance

Mayo Clinic researchers are also exploring a promising new approach to overcome resistance to immunotherapy in kidney and prostate cancers.

This work focuses on a specific protein (NUPR1) that helps certain immune cells actually protect tumors instead of fighting them. Early research suggests that blocking this protein could:

• Reprogram the immune system to attack cancer more effectively 
• Improve response to existing immunotherapies 
• Open the door to new combination treatments across multiple cancer types 

Why This Work Matters
At Mayo Clinic in Arizona, researchers have access to rare patient samples, advanced imaging, and close collaboration between scientists and clinicians—allowing discoveries to move quickly from the lab to real patients.

Your Impact

Your support isn’t just funding research—it’s fueling hope, healing, and progress. These projects bring us closer to new treatments and a better quality of life for cancer patients across all ages.

Your generosity directly supports life-saving cancer research and empowers the work of world-class physicians and scientists. On behalf of the CARE Board of Directors, we extend our heartfelt thanks.

Together, we are advancing cancer research and saving lives.