ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION'S NATIONAL COLORECTAL CANCER RESEARCH ALLIANCE HELPS FAST-TRACK COLON CANCER DISCOVERY

Katie Couric's Appeal for Research Participants Shaves Years Off Discovery Timeline

LOS ANGELES (October 11, 2003) - Support provided by Entertainment's Industry Foundation's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (EIF's NCCRA) to a team of leading scientists played a significant role in their discovery of a genetic sequence that may be responsible for the development of colon cancer, the nation's second-leading cause of cancer deaths.

Dr. Sanford Markowitz, of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Community Hospitals, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and his research team have isolated those genes that may unveil the origin of colon cancer. These genes may one day be targeted to prevent and treat colon cancer.

The results will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of October 13th (www.pnas.org). In the report, Dr. Markowitz credits the continued support he has received from EIF's NCCRA and its co-founder Katie Couric for helping fast track his research:

As part of his investigation, Dr. Markowitz and his team wanted to examine family relatives of individuals who had been diagnosed with colon cancer or pre-cancerous polyps, and needed to recruit qualified participants. Ms. Couric made a national appeal to encourage potential candidates who met the study criteria to contact Dr. Markowitz during a three-part series on NBC's TODAY called "Confronting Colon Cancer." More than 3,000 people called NCCRA's Clinical Trials Research Center inquiring about the study, and as a result, Dr. Markowitz's team filled the clinical study in less than two months, compared with the typical timeframe of more than two years for recruitment in similar studies.

Additionally, EIF's NCCRA provided major funding to complete this Markowitz's work - and is one of nine research projects supported by the Alliance that is advancing scientific knowledge about this deadly disease.

Dr. Markowitz smiles, on the left

About National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance
EIF's NCCRA educates Americans about the importance of getting tested and funds cutting-edge research. This spring NCCRA unveiled a first-of-its-kind educational CD-ROM to help physicians inform their patients about colorectal cancer screening. The Ad Council has also acknowledged the NCCRA's outreach efforts with "Best PSA Campaign" honors. Free educational materials and information are available through NCCRA's toll-free number (800-872-3000) and its Web site (www.eif.nccra.org).

EIF's National Colorectal Research Alliance (NCCRA) is dedicated to the eradication of colon cancer by promoting education, fundraising, research and early medical screening for the disease. The NCCRA was co-founded in March of 2000 by journalist Katie Couric, cancer activist Lilly Tartikoff, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Katie Couric's husband, NBC legal analyst Jay Monahan, died of colorectal cancer at age 42. Lilly Tartikoff's husband, former NBC President Brandon Tartikoff, died of cancer at age 49.

About Entertainment Industry Foundation
The NCCRA is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. As the philanthropic heart of the entertainment industry, EIF has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars -- and provided countless volunteer hours -- to support charitable initiatives addressing some of the most critical issues facing society today.