Briefs
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 13, 2003 9:00 p.m.
Fundraisers to be honored at UCLA AIDS
Institute
A group of cyclists who raised nearly $100,000 for the UCLA AIDS
Institute will be honored Friday for their efforts to help along
the development of an HIV vaccine.
About 100 volunteers for the group Charity Treks were involved
in a 420-mile bike journey from Montreal to Maine in late August.
Riders are sponsored by corporate and private donors.
Among the guests to be honored will be Gregg Beckham, one of
three co-founders, and Rob Seltzer, a UCLA graduate.
Study shows Latinas have healthier babies than
expected
A recently conducted UCLA study has revealed that Latina mothers
from Central and South American countries living in California give
birth to healthier babies than expected when considering their
access to health care and their education levels.
The research undertaken by the Center for the Study of Latino
Health and Culture also revealed that despite higher levels of
education among U.S.-born Latinas, the teen pregnancy rate among
immigrant Latinas is lower.
The discoveries were part of a profile of Salvadoran immigrants
carried out to collect information on the Salvadoran-American
community.
Cancer researcher receives prestigious international
award
Dr. Owen Witte from UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center was
awarded the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Villiers
International Achievement Award for his work linking chronic
myeloid leukemia to a mutant gene.
Witte’s work led to the development of a drug known as
Gleevec, which treats Leukemia by targeting the gene Bcr-Abl.
Gleevec was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in
May 2001.
“His work has given hope to thousands of patients, and we
are proud to recognize his great accomplishments in the fight
against these life-threatening diseases,” said Dwayne Howell,
president and chief executive officer of the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society.
Daily Bruin wire services.
