Cancer Fund invests in a firm developing affordable and noninvasive therapies to reprogram genes exploited by cancer.

Marking World Cancer Day, venture firm Cancer Fund has made its first investment in Reglagene, which is working on an innovative approach to cancer therapies, according to a press release.

Cancer Fund, the release said has a mission to “address the breakdown that occurs when promising research gets stuck in the lab and does not reach patients.”

Investing in Reglagene is the firm’s first of many planned ventures out of Cancer Fund I, its first fund, with efforts to turn decades and billions of dollars of cancer research into helping cancer patients.

The Cancer Fund was created by "passionate cancer advocates," including Scottsdale resident Ann Low, who has an active role in the fund and helps screen potential investors to ensure they fit criteria.

A surgical technician of 20 years, Ms. Low is a Stage 3 breast cancer survivor and author of “Holy Crap I Survived Cancer,” who  writes a weekly newsletter, “The Lowdown on Cancer.”

She among advocates are noted to recognize that the investments made in research often fail to reach patients so there is a goal is to provide funding to help innovative solutions navigate the path from the lab to patients, according to the release.

“Few, if any, would describe themselves as investors but many have historically supported the mission by donating to cancer charities. These are ordinary people helping do something extraordinary. Too many important cancer innovations never make it out of the lab because they lack the funding needed for testing, approval, production, and launch,” said managing director, Anthony Bajoras, in a prepared statement.

“Cancer Fund is committed to delivering more than hope by helping to get powerful innovation to the patients who need them.

“This investment marks an important milestone, not only for our investors, for Reglagene, and for cancer patients today, but for all of the people we care about that will be diagnosed in the future. Because, when that moment comes, we’ll wish we would have done more.”