Portland, OR. Nearly 300 donors and community leaders joined scientists from OHSU, and around the world, to celebrate the launch of a collaboration between the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and the British-based charity, Cancer Research UK. Jay Leno hosted the panel discussion featuring prominent leaders in the international fight against cancer. The event at the Sentinel Hotel preceded the three-day Sondland-Durant Early Detection of Cancer Conference presented by the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK.
Sir Harpal Kumar, chief executive officer, Cancer Research UK; Brian Druker, M.D., director, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute; panel discussion moderator Jay Leno
Gordon Sondland, CEO of Provenance Hotels, and Katy Durant, managing partner of Atlas Investments (Gordon and Katy are founders of the Gordon D. Sondland & Katherine J. Durant Foundation); Mavis and Jay Leno
Portland mayor-elect Ted Wheeler; Brian Druker, M.D., director, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute; Travis Knight, president and CEO, LAIKA
The June 21st event was a kick-off for the “Reimagine Hope” conference.
From the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute:
The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is an international leader in cancer research and personalized cancer treatment. The director, Brian Druker, M.D., helped usher in the era of personalized cancer medicine with his discovery that cancer cells could be shut down by disabling the molecules that drive their growth without harming healthy cells. The drug that resulted from that research, Gleevec®, revolutionized how cancer is treated. It also inspired a new wave of exploration of treatments that target cancer-causing molecules.
Ending cancer as we know it –
With the mission of ending cancer as we know it, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute continues to build its scientific and clinical leadership and cancer treatment resources. Public support and private philanthropy – including a transformative $100 million gift from Nike Chairman Phil Knight and his wife Penny in 2008 – have provided crucial resources to advance our progress.
Most recently, Dr. Druker’s plans to advance the early detection of cancer beyond methods used today, so that it’s possible to catch and treat the biological triggers of the disease, inspired Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, to pledge a $500 million donationto Knight Cancer if OHSU raised an additional $500 million as part of a two-year fundraising campaign. Thousands of donors from across the country and around the globe stepped up to the Knight Cancer Challenge, and OHSU announced the completion of the challenge on June 25, 2015. Read about our progress and learn more at onwardohsu.org.
Knight Cancer is also attracting powerful research collaborations with technology leaders such as Intel Corporation and OHSU Co., who want to be part of our mission.
