Learning how to twist long, narrow balloons into animal shapes took almost no time for the crew from Therapeutic Biomaterials Lab at the University of Rochester. They're prepared for the longer haul of figuring out how to kill cancer stem cells with drugs while leaving normal, healthy cells alone.

The dozen or so undergraduates, grad students and post-docs of the lab headed by Danielle Benoit sold lemonade to raise money for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, which funds research to find a cure for childhood cancer. The foundation has awarded Benoit's lab $40,000 for each of four years for work in nanotechnology. This is third time the lab has run the stand during the foundation's National Lemonade Days.

The students raised $360 Saturday at the Rochester Public Market and $370 Sunday at the Brighton Farmers Market at Brighton High School toward its goal of $4,000. They've collected more than $900 online, with a few more weeks to go. If you would like to donate please visit the Benoit Lab Lemonade Stand.