Ronnie James Dio, the heavy metal music icon who succumbed to gastric cancer in 2010, was honored July 10 – on what would have been his 83rd birthday – by the non-profit founded in his memory with the dedication of a room in the UCLA Center for Oral/Head & Neck Oncology Research (COOR), embedded within the UCLA School of Dentistry.

The plaque outside the designated Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Saliva Storage Room was unveiled by Dio’s widow Wendy Dio and Dr. David Wong, professor and director of the COOR. Members of the board of directors of the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org) were present at a formal naming ceremony.

Since 2016, the Dio Cancer Fund has supported the research of Dr. Wong and his team in the development of a non-invasive saliva test for cancer, also known as EFIRM liquid biopsy. Dr. Wong’s team has already been awarded a five-year $4.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance liquid biopsy testing for the early detection of lung cancer and has applied for a similar grant for research specifically into gastric cancer. 

“Ronnie’s stomach cancer was detected far too late and I know that if the liquid biopsy available back then, his cancer might have been detected earlier and saved his life,” stated Wendy Dio. 

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund is a privately funded 501(c)(3) public charity committed to raising awareness and funding for cancer prevention, education and research for a cure.