New Johns Hopkins Cancer Research Center Announced
Immunotherapy has the potential to cure and end all forms of cancer and is the most rapidly advancing approach to cancer treatment and one of the most promising avenues of cancer research, according to JHU, which described it as seeking to redirect patients' immune systems to target, detect, and destroy cancer cells.
Johns Hopkins University officials on March 29 announced the launch of a new cancer research center with $125 million in gifts, putting in place a keystone of the Obama administration's "moonshot" initiative to cure cancer -- an effort headed by Vice President Joe Biden. The Bloomberg–Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy was founded with two $50 million gifts—one from Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City's former mayor, and the other from philanthropist Sidney Kimmel, founder of Jones Apparel Group. More than a dozen other supports contributed an additional $25 million combined for the center.
Immunotherapy has the potential to cure and end all forms of cancer and is the most rapidly advancing approach to cancer treatment and one of the most promising avenues of cancer research, according to JHU, which described it as seeking to redirect patients' immune systems to target, detect, and destroy cancer cells. "We are at the forefront of an emerging and promising field of cancer research and treatment," said Paul Rothman, dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine. "We are grateful for these tremendous gifts, which will help us accelerate the already rapid pace of discoveries in immunotherapy."
Vice President Biden, Bloomberg, and other supporters attended the launch event at the Johns Hopkins medical campus in Baltimore. "Michael Bloomberg and Sidney Kimmel are visionaries," JHU President Ronald J. Daniels said. "Their philanthropy has already fostered remarkable innovation throughout Johns Hopkins, transforming the landscape of public health and cancer research. The new Bloomberg–Kimmel Institute builds on that legacy, giving us the latitude to dream big as we accelerate our efforts to end all forms of cancer."
JHU said the funds will mainly support research but also be used to recruit additional scientists; provide additional infrastructure for engineering cellular products related to immunotherapy research; enhance partnerships with the private sector; and invest in critical technology development.