Bob Saget to host scleroderma fundraiser in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, May 26 (UPI) -- Comedian and author Bob Saget is to serve as host of the inaugural Las Vegas Cool Comedy -- Hot Cuisine benefit for the Scleroderma Research Foundation.

The event is to take place June 5 at the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.

Saget, an SRF board member whose sister died of the autoimmune disease, will be joined in the fundraising effort by singer/songwriter Ben Folds and a special surprise comedy legend, the foundation said. Celebrity chefs/restaurateurs Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken and Rick Moonen will provide the event's titular "hot cuisine."

"It has been an incredible year for scleroderma research. SRF funded scientists have recently discovered a way to stop and actually reverse the disease's telltale scarring in a laboratory setting. This event will help ensure that progress continues to benefit patients everywhere," Saget said in a statement. "It's been said for many years -- and it directly applies to what we do with these events -- laughter is the best medicine."

Organizers said the success of Cool Comedy -- Hot Cuisine events held in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York has raised considerable awareness for scleroderma and enabled the SRF to continue funding the innovative research that will bring hope and help improve the quality of life for patients suffering from this debilitating disease.

Saget is best known for his work on TV's Full House and America's Funniest Home Videos.