COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 23, 2024) – Pelotonia today announced a $2 million donation from Dee and Jimmy Haslam and The Haslam 3 Foundation to accelerate the scientific research on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), supporting Pelotonia’s mission of ending cancer.  

“I love Pelotonia’s mission and it is an honor to be able to positively impact their efforts,” said Dee Haslam. “We have all been touched by cancer and that is why awareness and research is so important. The way that Pelotonia brings the entire community together for such a critical cause has been tremendous and we are inspired by their transformative work.” 

Dee and Jimmy Haslam are managing partners of Haslam Sports Group, a sports and entertainment group with ownership of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, operating rights to Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, co-ownership of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and investors in the WNBA. The Haslam 3 Foundation is the family’s philanthropic foundation which gives back to community organizations in Ohio and Tennessee. 

“Pelotonia offers hope for so many people impacted by cancer, including my own family,” said Haslam. “Everyone is affected by cancer. My hope is more and more people get involved in Pelotonia – whether they ride on their bikes or make donations. I get excited thinking about all of the ways you can participate. I hope our gift inspires others to support Pelotonia as well.” 

This donation will directly fund CLL research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC—James) as well as operational support for Pelotonia, adding The Haslam 3 Foundation as a new funding partner. Pelotonia’s funding partners allow the organization to direct 100 percent of every participant-raised dollar to innovative cancer research. 

“As I’ve spent time with Dee and Jimmy over the last few years, they were eager to understand how Pelotonia was making such a big impact not only on research but in engaging the community in such meaningful ways. They wanted to be a part of it,” said Doug Ulman, Vice Chair of the Pelotonia Board and cancer survivor. “I’ve been honored to get to know them as people. It’s clear they are big thinkers and have a vision for the difference they want to make. The collective Columbus community is grateful for their impact on our city and beyond. We are thankful to have the Haslams as part of the Pelotonia community and for their investment in furthering our mission of ending cancer.”  

CLL is a cancer involving a type of white blood cell called a B lymphocyte which affects the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes. The most common form of adult leukemia in the Western Hemisphere, CLL accounts for about one-quarter of new cases of leukemia in the U.S., and the average person’s risk of a CLL diagnosis is about 1 in 175.  

“I have a family member with CLL who is very symptomatic and know others who are fighting through this disease, so my hope is that our investment through Pelotonia helps the research for CLL treatment go quicker,” said Haslam. “I learned that Pelotonia-funded research at the OSUCCC—James is working to find new and novel therapies for CLL. Doug and Pelotonia made the introduction for us to Dr. Woyach and Ohio State. It was remarkable to learn about the CLL expertise and breakthroughs in treatments right in our backyard in Columbus. Getting to know Dr. Woyach is such a gift. CLL is her passion; it’s what drives her. If you’re going to invest in research for something that you really care about, you want it to be done by someone with the background and qualifications that she has."   

The Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies Research Program at the OSUCCC—James, a global leader in research and treatment for hematologic cancers including CLL, is the recipient of this Pelotonia funding from the Haslam 3 Foundation. Jennifer Woyach, MD, a hematologist-oncologist at the OSUCCC—James, professor in the Division of Hematology, and co-leader of the Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies Research Program, will lead the work. Woyach is a Pelotonia-funded researcher through both an Idea Grant and Fellow, who was named Pelotonia’s 2021 Researcher of the Year for her exemplary work in CLL research and patient care.  

“At the OSUCCC—James, we are very excited to use this investment both to strengthen our current work in advancing CLL research and to allow us to go into new directions to benefit CLL patients,” said Woyach. "There has been remarkable progress in CLL over the past decade, but there remain areas of unmet clinical need. This funding will help us launch clinical trials for frontline CLL to try to optimize therapy for all patients. As well, we are expanding our research program in immunotherapy for CLL, and this funding will greatly accelerate this work." 

The American Cancer Society estimates 20,700 Americans will be diagnosed with CLL in 2024 and about 4,440 will die from CLL. While incurable, new targeted drugs – including ibrutinib, acalabrutinib and other versions of this targeted therapy that work by inhibiting a protein essential for the growth and spread of CLL cells – make it manageable to live with CLL. 

A $100,000 Pelotonia Idea Grant in 2013 helped fund the groundbreaking clinical trials that resulted in the development of ibrutinib, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2014. Approved for use in 100 countries, ibrutinib has been used to treat more than 270,000 patients worldwide and has dramatically changed the prognosis, rate of remission and quality of life for CLL patients. Acalabrutinib, a second-generation version of this targeted therapy that minimizes side effects, was approved by the FDA in 2019. Both breakthrough CLL therapies were developed largely through research by the OSUCCC—James scientists and physicians, including Dr. Woyach and her team, with Pelotonia funding support. 

“Pelotonia has been instrumental in the transformation of CLL treatment. The philanthropy that fuels Pelotonia allows us to do novel work that otherwise wouldn’t be funded,” said Woyach. “Pelotonia enables research with higher risk but higher reward. In this case, the risk really paid off and we have the reward of great therapies for patients at The James and around the world.” 

One patient who was enrolled in a clinical trial involving ibrutinib then later acalabrutinib was Raphael Pollock, MD, PhD, FACS, who is a surgical oncologist at The James, Director of the OSUCCC and Pelotonia Board Member. Dr. Pollock credits his survivorship to these targeted therapies that were not available to CLL patients a decade ago.  

“As a cancer surgeon and CLL survivor, I am humbled by this donation from the Haslam 3 Foundation to Pelotonia that will help discover the next frontiers in CLL treatment,” said Pollock. “I am deeply grateful to the Haslam family and The Haslam 3 Foundation for their investment in this critical science. Philanthropic donations power cancer research and lead to breakthroughs like the CLL treatment that saved my life.” 

The focus for the future of CLL treatment is in creating more novel therapies that are better targeted to a patient’s individual cancer. Under Dr. Woyach’s leadership, the OSUCCC—James is positioned to continue to make significant advancements in CLL research by exploring areas that include overcoming patient resistance to therapies, working with companies to test new therapies preclinically, performing lab work to identify novel targets and studying new immune therapies. This critical research that aims to improve outcomes and quality of life for CLL patients today and that will be diagnosed in the future is accelerated through Pelotonia funding and donations like this from The Haslam 3 Foundation.  

“The beautiful thing about Pelotonia is that the community can participate in ways most meaningful to them. Not only is CLL deeply personal to the Haslam family but it is a very promising area of cancer research in which the OSUCCC—James is a global leader,” said Ulman. “We could not be more grateful for the incredible support of Dee, Jimmy and the Haslam 3 Foundation. This donation is going to change and save lives.” 

To learn more about the impact of Pelotonia dollars, including the work of The Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, visit pelotonia.org/impact and pelotonia.org/institute.