The University’s black-tie Cancer Gala sold 550 tickets at $500 each but the final amount raised for cancer research is not yet available, the event’s organizers said.

The ticket sales for the 6th annual event netted the GW Cancer Institute and the Katzen Cancer Research Center $275,000, GW Medical Center spokeswoman Anne Banner wrote in an e-mail.

“We had 550 guests at the Gala–however, with sponsorships and expenses, we do not have those numbers for you,” Banner wrote in response to a request for the total amount raised.

The gala, which was hosted by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, took place in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Saturday night.

The gala also raised funds through sponsorships and auctions, including a live auction on Saturday night and silent auctions online.

One bid in particular caught some local media attention. D.C. Council member Marion Barry, a former mayor of D.C., bid $800 for an opera jacket he plans to give to his girlfriend, the Washington Post reported. Barry owes about $275,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties.

Husna Kazmir contributed to this report.