By Baiju NT [ August 23, 2010 ]
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Terry Fox run in Chennai

South Indian superstar Vikram, U.S. Consul General Andrew T. Simkin (Chennai) and DGP Letika Saran jointly flagged off the second edition of Terry Fox Chennai run at the IIT Madras at 8 a.m. on Sunday.

More than 3,000 persons participated in the Chennai run organised with the objective of raising funds for cancer research. The run is conducted all over the world in memory of the Canadian athlete and cancer activist Terry Fox.

The inspiration behind the run is Akash Dube, a 17-year-old student diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia) last year. Akash, who is doing an internship at IIT-M on the growth of cancer cells, said this programme is an attempt to create public awareness of the need for investing in basic research on finding cure for the disease.

"People expect faster results, hence any kind of long-term research focused on lasting solutions is discouraged,” he said, adding that support from institutions and the community would help in bringing to fore the best results in medical research.