Undoubtedly one of the more nationally prominent philanthropic events—for its celebrity participants and television presence,as well as its superior access to fashion, fun, and a fantastic goodie bag—is Super Saturday, a benefit for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF).

This year, the “Rolls Royce of garage sales,” as it’s known—the event features merchandise from over two hundred prominent fashion designers, including Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Theory, and Diane von Furstenberg—takes place July 26; those who can’t attend the event in person can participate in the shopping for a cause through the QVC. Super Saturday was co-founded and has been underwritten every year by Donna Karan who, along with Charla Lawhon, Managing Editor of In Style magazine, and Kelly Ripa, will host the event in Water Mill, New York. Last year’s event raised over $3 million.

Vivanista wanted to find out, where does all that money go?

The OCRF, founded in 1998, is the nation’s largest nonprofit entity focused exclusively on funding research about ovarian cancer (most of the rest of the funding for research about this disease comes from the Cancer Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Defense). The monies raised by Super Saturday primarily become grants for research, both for younger researchers as well as senior investigators. “We support a range of researchers,” says Sarah DeFeo, the OCRF’s director of grants and programs. Since its inception, OCRF has given away 147 grants totalling $33 million. A small percentage of that funding is used for education and awareness. According to DeFeo, this is a relatively nascent field of research primarily because ovarian cancer is a relatively rare disease when compared to breast, prostate, and lung cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2009, there were 21,550 new cases of ovarian cancer reported in the U.S., and 14,600 deaths equating to a 32% survival rate.  By comparison, last year in the U.S. there were 194,2800 new cases of breast cancer, and 40,610 deaths equaling a 79% survival rate.

It is, however, also a very tough cancer to overcome.  “It’s very appealing to researchers,” states DeFeo, “because there’s so much to do and because it’s so deadly.”

Because research is in the early stages, much is focused on learning about the disease—doctors still don’t know where it originates—and creating methods of early detection. “There currently are no means of detecting this disease early on, like a PAP smear does for cervical cancer or a mammogram does for breast cancer,” DeFeo states. “That’s one of the reasons it’s so severe; it only gets diagnosed in the late stages.”

DeFeo shared some of the exciting and very promising results OCRF–supported entities are achieving. In the area of early detection, one OCRF–sponsored researcher has discovered that small sugar molecules in the blood called glycans appear to distinguish between healthy women and those with ovarian cancer. A pilot test has shown that results using this method are superior to the current standard, indicating that we now have the potential for a diagnostic test based on a different biologic process than the current biomarkers used for ovarian cancer.

In the realm of increasing the ability to identify high-risk women, a group of OCRF–supported researchers have identified a new genetic abnormality that may significantly increase a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer; up to 15 percent of women may carry the flaw.

Additional researchers supported by OCRF are finding ways of understanding the underlying genetics and molecular biology of ovarian cancer (evidence suggests that most serious tumors designated “ovarian” may actually originate from the end of the fallopian tube), and one team is identifying new, better targets for treatment. Another investigator is focusing on how to boost a woman’s immune response with injections of immune cells engineered with modified T-Cell receptors so it can better fight ovarian cancer. And one researcher—because of his exploration into how and why ovarian cancer spreads, and how to stop it—was able to convince a pharmaceutical company to test a drug for ovarian cancer that was previously being developed only for colon and lung cancer.

DeFeo notes that the most critical aspect of making headway in treating ovarian cancer is continued support. “This is incremental research that takes years,” she says. “It’s a sustained effort.”

What better incentive does any woman need to sustain her love of fashion and get out there and shop!

Purchase your tickets to Super Saturday.

Find our more about the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.