Empire State Ride

ESR road warrior Ernie traveled from Virginia Beach to Buffalo last week to tour Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and see the impact of Empire State Ride fundraising efforts. He's featured here holding a vial of SurVaxM, an innovative brain cancer vaccine. SurVaxM was first developed at Roswell Park by Michael Ciesielski, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Roswell Park and CEO of MimiVax (the biotechnology company that’s currently developing SurVaxM) and Robert Fenstermaker, MD, Roswell Park Chair of Neurosurgery. The vaccine recently received expanded Orphan Drug status from the FDA, greenlighting its use in a broader category of cancerous brain tumors. During his tour, Ernie visited with Dr. Ciesielski, fellow ESR road warrior Danielle Casucci, Vice President of Clinical Operations at MimiVax, and Ryan McDowell, PhD, an HRI Scientist in Dr. Brentjens' Lab. Special thanks to all who welcomed Ernie!

From July 20 to July 27, 2024, 264 cyclists embarked on the journey of a lifetime across New York State. Together, they raised $2.2 million for cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. That's a new fundraising RECORD for ESR, since the event began in 2014!

It's National New York Day! One of the best things about Empire State Ride is seeing the beauty of New York State from the seat of your bike, while making a difference for cancer patients at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Yesterday, local ESR riders came together for the 4th Translational Genomics & Epigenetics Symposium Community Showcase, hosted by ESR's very own Joyce Ohm, PhD, Chair of Cancer Genetics and Genomics at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Riders saw their fundraising dollars at work with tours of the clinical research labs, Community Outreach and Engagement Center and new GMP Engineering & Cell Manufacturing Facility. A panel of doctors and researchers also sat down with ESR rider Jane Eshbaugh to discuss her journey with pancreatic cancer and the promising research being done to improve patient outcomes across the board. Thank you to the speakers and to Dr. Ohm and her entire team for an incredible night of impact!

We have the honor of seeing the Freedom Tower as we ride through New York City on Day 1 of ESR. It's a moment of pride and remembrance for everyone involved in the ride.

Meet Kristen (left) and Michele (right) who proudly wore their 9/11 tribute jerseys on Day 2 of ESR24.

September is Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorder Disease Awareness Month!💛🎗️

10 years ago, Terry Bourgeois had plenty of ambition to make his dream a reality. Now, the Empire State Ride is breaking countless milestones, including fundraising $10 million in 10 years for cancer research, attracting riders from across the country, growing our community of road warriors and much more. Thank you, Terry, for sharing your dream with us!

"We're excited and honored to have been the presenting sponsor of Empire State Ride for yet another successful year! Having the finish line so close to our Buffalo HQ made it even more special for our team. A huge shoutout to the ESR team for their dedication and hard work, going above and beyond each year to ensure this event is as impactful as it can be. We truly appreciate all the efforts that make this ride such an incredible experience. Here's to celebrating another great ride!" — Brian Kempisty, CEO of Port X Logistics Thank you, Port X Logistics LLC, for everything this year!

Happy National Nonprofit Day! The funds raised by our riders benefit cutting-edge cancer research at America's first cancer center dedicated to research, Roswell Park. Through regional, national and global collaboration, the funds that come to Roswell Park go into efforts that will change the way we prevent, diagnose and treat cancers of all kinds everywhere. That means with Empire State Ride, your impact is WORLDWIDE!