Donor Recognition

Continuing their family’s deep commitment to conquering pancreatic cancer, Judith B. Hale, her son, Robert T. Hale Jr., and his wife, Karen Hale, have pledged an additional $50 million to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This gift, one of the largest single gifts in the Institute’s history, will support the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, founded in 2016 with $15 million from Judith, Robert, and Karen.

This new gift, the largest-ever gift to pancreatic cancer research at Dana-Farber, will enable a wide range of ambitious work in two main areas: early detection and prevention, and precision medicine and biology. Currently a national leader in the field, the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research will launch teams of scientists to leverage health system data to identify those at highest risk for pancreatic cancer, detect it earlier through new imaging approaches and blood tests, and develop new treatments for pre-invasive and early invasive pancreatic cancers.

The center will also investigate the biology and interplay of pancreatic cancer cells, the immune system, and stromal cells, and develop a series of clinical trials to test new therapies based upon discoveries from these initiatives.

“Our intention is to substantially speed the pace of research and new treatments for this terrible disease,” said Judith Hale, a member of the Dana-Farber Board of Trustees. “We are investing in the exceptional talent at Dana-Farber because we are committed to finding a cure. That would be a wonderful honor for my husband and legacy for our family.”

“Working in partnership with the Hale Family, we have already made significant progress against pancreatic cancer,” said Dana-Farber President and CEO Laurie H. Glimcher, MD. “Yet far too many families are still devastated by this disease. We share the Hale Family’s bold vision to eradicate pancreatic cancer and save lives, here and around the world. With this incredibly generous, transformational gift, the Hale Family is providing us with an unprecedented opportunity, and responsibility, to do just that.”

“More than 60,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, far too often at a late stage,” said Karen Hale. “It is critical to detect it early when it is most vulnerable, and to have newer, more advanced treatments available when we do. Dana-Farber has the best team of scientists and clinicians to do this urgent work.”

A Generational Legacy

This gift is in honor of Robert T. “Bob” Hale Sr., a patient of the Institute, who died in 2008, and together with Judy established a fund in 2007 to support pancreatic cancer research.

The Hale Family’s commitment to pancreatic cancer research and care has continued across the generations. Judith Hale created the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer in 2012, and with her son and daughter-in-law, established the current Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research in 2016.

In addition, the Hales’ company, Granite Telecommunications, and its employees have supported research at Dana-Farber and other institutions by providing millions of dollars through corporate philanthropy and popular annual events.

“I am inspired by the Hale’s determination and commitment to the mission we all share,” said Josh Bekenstein, chairman of the Board of Dana-Farber. “They are a model for others of the bold, forward-thinking philanthropy that has meant so much progress for patients throughout DanaFarber’s history.”

“With this extremely generous gift from the Hale Family, we have an incredible opportunity to transform how pancreatic cancer is diagnosed and treated,” said Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, director of the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research and the Robert T. and Judith B. Hale Chair in Pancreatic Cancer at Dana-Farber. “We share their deep commitment to ending pancreatic cancer, and the entire Hale Center team is exceptionally grateful for—and energized by—their trust and longtime financial support.”

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Cancer touches everyone, so all have a stake in defying it at every turn. Dana-Farber is leading the way in this global effort thanks to the help of a committed community of supporters and dedicated champions like Boston legend, Larry Lucchino.

Recently, Lucchino made a gift of $500,000 to The Dana-Farber Campaign, to support capital projects and strategic initiatives through the Presidential Initiatives Fund. His philanthropy underscores the campaign’s cornerstone priorities of supporting revolutionary science, extraordinary care, and exceptional expertise to create better outcomes for patients everywhere.

Lucchino’s generosity was recognized by naming The Imagine Display, a whimsical representation of Dana-Farber’s signature “bench to bedside” research model through the eyes of our youngest patients. Opening in November 2021, The Imagine Display, made possible by the Lucchino Family, offers an array of unique naming opportunities for all donors that will further generate critical funding for cancer research and care at the Institute.

Larry Lucchino has repeatedly risen to the occasion for Dana-Farber and its patients in an array of leadership roles. As president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2015, he deepened the Jimmy Fund’s partnership with the team by helping to establish such beloved annual traditions as the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon and trips to Spring Training for Jimmy Fund Clinic patients and caregivers. In 2016, Lucchino signed on as Chairman of the Jimmy Fund, serving as the lead ambassador and public spokesperson to increase grassroots support for Dana-Farber’s mission.

An Institute Trustee since 2003, Lucchino has been deeply involved in Dana-Farber’s fundraising efforts on many fronts. He served as co-chair of the Institute’s ambitious Mission Possible campaign from 2004 to 2011 and chair of the Trustee Philanthropy Committee from 2014 to 2020. He and wife Stacey walk in the Boston Marathon^® Jimmy Fund Walk, Stacey rides in the Pan-Mass Challenge, and both are members of the Dana-Farber Society, a special family of forward-thinking supporters who have invested in the Institute’s future through planned giving.

Now, as The Dana-Farber Campaign continues to gain momentum, Lucchino is once again helping to lead the charge through his generous gift and his service as a member of the Campaign Cabinet. A longtime Dana-Farber patient who first came to the Institute for treatment while still living in Washington, D.C., Lucchino has personal knowledge of and gratitude for the Institute’s impact in New England, across the country, and throughout the world. And he believes that the campaign, along with all who support it, empowers Dana-Farber to make an even greater difference.

“New ideas can only be generated through new funding, and the campaign allows us to pursue solutions to the problem of cancer in new, better, and different ways,” Lucchino said. “I am proud of what Dana-Farber does in and beyond our community, and I am honored to support it any way I can.”

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For several years, Dipanjan Chowdhury, PhD, chief of the Division of Radiation and Genome Stability at Dana-Farber, has been working to improve early detection tools for ovarian cancer. Often referred to as a “silent” disease, ovarian cancer is typically asymptomatic in its earliest, most treatable stages. As a result, most women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer when it is at an advanced stage, at which point only about a quarter of patients will survive for at least five years.

For Veronica de Piante Vicin, these statistics are personal. Her late mother, Ana Maria Lolla, faced advanced ovarian cancer twice in her lifetime, and the disease unfortunately runs in the family. Her mother was treated overseas, with consultations from the Dana-Farber care team, and during this time, de Piante Vicin resolved herself to helping spare others from the pain of ovarian cancer if she could.

When Ana Maria ultimately passed away in 2014, that desire to help grew stronger. And when de Piante Vicin was introduced to Chowdhury and his research at Dana-Farber, she knew right away that she wanted to get involved. In 2016, she established the Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Fund in honor of Ana Maria Lolla.

“Dipanjan is just so passionate. He really believes he is going to get there,” said de Piante Vicin. “He believes he’ll actually get the results that are needed to help so many women.”

Chowdhury and his colleagues discovered a specific set of 14 circulating microRNAs (miRNAs)—a type of molecule that helps cells control the kinds and amounts of proteins they make—in the blood of ovarian cancer patients. Over the last few years, his team has been using this knowledge to develop a highly sensitive blood test that can detect early-stage disease.

“Ovarian cancer detected early is more curable, so the development of accurate and sensitive tests is an enormous priority for high-risk families,” said Chowdhury, who also serves as co-director of the Center for BRCA and Related Genes at Dana-Farber. “We have seen tremendous progress over the last few years, and that’s thanks in large part to supporters like Veronica who believe in this work and what it could mean for countless women.”

Early detection is a major priority of The Dana-Farber Campaign, and Chowdhury’s research is the kind of approach that could make that goal a reality. But the faith that de Piante Vicin has in Chowdhury as a person represents what makes Dana-Farber so special to so many: the brilliant, compassionate people behind the mission.

“There’s a positivity about Dipanjan that’s infectious, that’s tangible, and my mother had the same positivity, even throughout treatment,” said de Piante Vicin. “I think she would be immensely proud to know that it’s in her name and that this test could avoid a lot of the pain. She’d be very, very happy.”

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Institute Trustee Ted Pasquarello and his wife, Eileen, recently made a new gift of $2 million in support of cellular therapies research under the direction of Robert Soiffer, MD, vice chair of the department of Medical Oncology and chief of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies.

The Pasquarellos’ involvement with Dana-Farber stretches back to the 1990s, when Ted was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). He underwent treatment overseen by Soiffer, which included a stem cell transplant and a new drug called imatinib—known by the brand name Gleevec—one of the earliest targeted therapies available for CML that was a gamechanger for cancer medicine. Ted, who has been in remission since 2003, points to this experience as a key motivator for funding early stage research that shows long-term promise.

“I was very fortunate to receive one of the earlier drugs, and it has led us to support research that could help somebody in the future,” said Ted. “Our donations always go to where we can make the biggest progress.”

The Pasquarellos’ new commitment provides powerful momentum to The Dana-Farber Campaign through its support of two key cellular therapy studies led by Soiffer and Jerome Ritz, MD, executive director of the Connell and O’Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility.

The first is research into harnessing natural killer (NK) cells— aggressive immune cells that can attack disease cells at a moment’s notice—to treat many forms of cancer. The second project will leverage a genetic weakness of the common Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to develop a new class of T cells capable of treating B cell malignancies. This treatment, called CD4 T-cell therapy, aims to prompt a similar immune response as in EBV to potentially eliminate cancer and prevent recurrence.

“Ted and Eileen’s continuous philanthropic support over the years has kickstarted several early stage projects,” said Soiffer, who also serves as chair of the Executive Committee for Clinical Programs. “Our work in cellular therapies holds tremendous promise for countless patients, and this latest commitment will help accelerate our progress.”

The Pasquarellos have seen their seed funding pay off in other projects, such as the Pasquarello Tissue Bank, which has provided researchers with invaluable patient samples for more than 20 years. The Pasquarellos’ foresight is also evident through their membership in the Dana-Farber Society, which honors those who have left a legacy to the Institute in their will, estate plans, or through other deferred and complex assets.

“When I look back over 23 years now, and I see some of the things that they’ve done and the dedication that they have, I feel grateful,” said Ted. “They eat, sleep, and think constantly about how to help patients. We’re proud to provide the capital to make it happen.”

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On February 18, more than 200 supporters of the Palm Beach community gathered virtually to participate in Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s premier event “Cocktails and Conversation with Our Doctors.” Graciously chaired by Institute Trustees Phyllis Krock and Judie Schlager, Dana-Farber doctors and researchers discussed the latest cancer discoveries and research advances at the Institute. In addition to the event, the Palm Beach community raised more than $1.6 million through a special appeal to support lifesaving cancer treatments and groundbreaking research discoveries for patients around the world.

The event kicked off with remarks from legendary singer-songwriter and member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame James Taylor and his wife, Kim. At the top of the evening, alongside Kim and their son, Harry, Taylor gave a heartfelt performance of “You Can Close Your Eyes.”

During the conversation portion of the night, Dana-Farber’s physician-scientists elaborated on what excites them about the future of cancer research and care, and how the Palm Beach community continues to contribute to this progress. Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, president and CEO, shared her appreciation for the Palm Beach community and gave an exclusive preview of The Dana-Farber Campaign.

Dana-Farber physician-scientist speakers included Kenneth Anderson, MD, director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center and LeBow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics, and the Kraft Family Professor of Medicine; Judy Garber, MD, MPH, chief of Cancer Genetics and Prevention and the Susan F. Smith Chair; Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH, chief clinical access and equity officer and associate medical director of the Dana-Farber Network; Robert J. Mayer, MD, faculty vice president for Academic Affairs and the Stephen B. Kay Family Professor of Medicine; Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, director of Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center and director of Clinical Research in the Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology; and Eric P. Winer, MD, chief clinical development officer, senior vice president for Medical Affairs, chief of the Division of Breast Oncology and the Thompson Chair in Breast Cancer Research.

The evening’s vice chairs were Institute Trustee Harvey Berger and his wife, Chrysanthi, Phyllis and Paul Fireman, and Institute Trustee Michele Kessler and her husband, Howard. The co-chairs were Bruce Beal and Frank Cunningham, Dana-Farber Society member Rose Dana and her husband, Institute Trustee and Dana-Farber Society member Charles Dana, Judy and Jim Harpel, Institute Trustee Sandy Krakoff, Vicki and Arthur Loring, Tom Quick, Institute Trustee Jean Sharf, and Roberta and Stephen R. Weiner. The virtual event was produced by Bryan Rafanelli.

The night ended on a bright note as Taylor performed “Shower the People” and attendees sang along. Just before the performance began, Kenneth Anderson, MD, offered a moment of gratitude when he said, “Your heartfelt commitment, kindness, and support of our clinical and research efforts represents the epitome of caring for one another and helping those in need.”

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The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation, established as The Pussycat Foundation in 2010 by longtime Cosmopolitan magazine editor-in-chief Helen Gurley Brown, recently renewed its support for Dana-Farber by funding two programs aimed at empowering women in science with a grant of $2,350,000 for 22 women faculty and fellows.

The first of these programs is The Helen Gurley Brown Presidential Initiative, launched in 2016, which pairs senior women faculty and women fellows for two years, providing an opportunity for early career scientists to benefit from the mentorship of senior scientists who understand the unique challenges faced by women in academic medicine. The new grant supports 10 such partnerships.

In 2020, the foundation expanded its impact with the newly established Helen Trailblazer Awards. This program provides funding to women assistant and associate professors to propel their research and careers to the next level, further cementing their leadership in their respective field. The inaugural recipients, Himisha Beltran, MD, and Kira Bona, MD, MPH, will use the funding to advance their important work in developing new treatments for prostate cancer and identifying novel epigenetic changes driving pediatric cancer disparities, respectively.

“We are delighted to partner once again with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to further our mission of inspiring and mentoring future generations of women leaders,” said Eve Burton, president of the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation. “The newly launched Helen Trailblazer Awards are emblematic of our commitment to empowering women with the resources they need to thrive.”

Beltran is studying the biology of small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC)—an aggressive, late-stage form of prostate cancer that currently has no approved therapies. With this new funding, Beltran aims to explore the use of T cells to target the protein DLL3 expressed on the surface of NEPC cells, and to develop effective combination treatment strategies. Her research will be crucial to developing combination therapies for patients who have developed resistance to treatment.

Bona is studying the biological impact of poverty on pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Her data over the last decade demonstrates that children with cancer who come from low-income families experience higher rates of relapse and decreased overall survival compared to children from non-low-income families when treated on the same clinical trials. With this funding, Bona will explore whether physiological responses to poverty-associated stress result in cancers that are more resistant to chemotherapy.

“The current approach to disparities research in pediatrics is to consider social and behavioral risk factors as targets for intervention,” said Bona. “This study challenges that paradigm and has the potential to change our approaches to therapy.”

Since 2016, the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation has provided more than $5 million in support of women faculty and fellows at Dana-Farber. Through The Dana-Farber Campaign, the Institute has prioritized faculty development and reducing disparities in health care; donors like the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation ensure success in these areas.

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From the moment former Institute Trustee Alan Hirschfield met Arnold Freedman, MD, in 1996, he knew he had found not only his new doctor, but a friend. Alan and his wife, Berte, knew Dana-Farber by reputation, and so when Alan was diagnosed with lymphoma, the couple came to Boston all the way from Jackson, Wyoming. Freedman impressed them so much with his compassion and expertise that they decided that he should oversee Alan’s treatment.

That was the beginning of a long and fruitful friendship between the Hirschfields and Freedman, and a long and fruitful lifetime of involvement with the Institute. In 2002, Alan was invited to join the Board of Trustees, and for many years participated in the Visiting Committee for Hematologic Oncology—now known as Dana-Farber’s Presidential Symposium—which Berte also joined and attends annually to this day.

After Alan passed away, Berte wanted to honor his legacy. She recently established an endowment to support lymphoma research conducted by early career faculty, which will be overseen by her dear friends Freedman and David Weinstock, MD, another colleague who quickly bonded with the Hirschfields. Weinstock is a Lavine Family Chair for Preventative Cancer Therapies at Dana-Farber.

“It means a great deal to me, and I know it would mean a great deal to Alan,” said Berte. “I can’t think of a better way to honor Alan and Arnie than with this gift. I have great confidence knowing Arnie and David will put the funds to the best use—they are both brilliant leaders in the field.”

The fund will be named the Alan J. Hirschfield Lymphoma Endowed Fund until Freedman retires, at which time it will be renamed the Arnold Freedman, MD, Lymphoma Endowed Fund to honor the meaningful friendship between the Hirschfields and Freedman.

“I am deeply moved by this gift from Berte,” said Freedman. “Alan was a wonderful friend to me for more than 20 years, and the Hirschfields have been truly valued supporters of the Institute for just as long. This endowment will be an incredibly important resource for the Adult Lymphoma Program for many years to come.”

The fund supports the next generation of lymphoma physician-researchers at the Institute, providing powerful momentum to one of the pillars of The Dana-Farber Campaign: investing in exceptional people. For Berte, an entrepreneur with a particular passion for startups, supporting young physician-scientists was a perfect fit.

“Over the years, when family members or close friends have had cancer, I suggest they go to Dana-Farber where I know they will have the best care, for Dana-Farber treats every patient equally,” said Berte. “Their profound understanding of the most current cancer protocols and their humane treatment of patients is unparalleled.”

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Developing and delivering the best therapies for patients with cancer is the driving force of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, but the work of Dana-Farber doesn’t stop there. Identifying high-risk patients and using preventative cancer therapies is an essential component of the fight against cancer, something that longtime supporters Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine know all too well. Inspired by the level of excellence they have witnessed throughout the years at Dana-Farber, the couple recently established the Lavine Family Fund for Preventative Cancer Therapies to advance crucial research aimed at detecting and treating cancer before it progresses.

Their visionary $25 million gift—the largest ever made to advance precision prevention and early detection at Dana-Farber—demonstrates the Lavines’ confidence in our ability to bring about a new paradigm that will allow us to stop cancer in its tracks, ultimately changing outcomes for patients everywhere. It enables Dana-Farber President and CEO Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, to allocate funding to projects that show the most promise to propel exciting developments long into the future, and provides powerful momentum toward the Institute’s comprehensive campaign, currently in the quiet phase.

The gift also establishes a permanent legacy by endowing three chairs to form the Lavine Family Chairs for Preventative Cancer Therapies—the first time three chairs have been endowed with a single gift. The three incumbents are Irene Ghobrial, MD, director of the Clinical Investigator Research Program; David Weinstock, MD; and Catherine Wu, MD, chief of the Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies. An endowed chair is one of the most prestigious academic appointments and will enable the incumbents to continue to investigate precursor conditions, immunotherapies, and other potential prevention strategies. This gift will also establish the Lavine Family Fund for Preventative Cancer Therapies that will provide support to enable research faculty across the Institute to develop new methods of early detection and enhance the ability of doctors to identify and test for early stage cancers.

“Early detection and cancer prevention are essential to the fight against cancer. Effective early detection methods and therapies will enable doctors to save more lives,” says Jonathan Lavine, who serves as a Dana-Farber Trustee. “We have entrusted Dr. Glimcher to allocate the fund to support leading investigators who are on a path to dramatically move the needle in their fields—the most promising people, advancing the most promising work, which in turn holds great promise for patients and their families.”

“Thanks to this extraordinary investment from Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine, our physician-scientists are poised to make breakthrough discoveries that will lead to comprehensive prevention and early detection for all patients,” said Glimcher. “Philanthropic leaders like the Lavines are instrumental to bringing us closer to our ultimate goal: reducing the burden of cancer.”

This is not the first time that the Lavines have made a life-changing gift to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Lavines were personally impacted by cancer when Jonathan’s mother was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma over two decades ago. Jonathan witnessed the work of Dana-Farber firsthand as his mother received successful treatment and was inspired to give back. In 2013, Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine gave $10 million to an initiative to enhance the patient and family experience at Dana-Farber and to name the Lavine Family Dining Pavilion. Adds Jeannie Lavine, “The work at Dana-Farber saves lives and it is our honor to be a small part of making those miracles happen.”

Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine are longtime supporters of health care and other civic and charitable causes in Boston and beyond. Through their foundation, the Crimson Lion Foundation, the Lavines focus their philanthropic efforts to support numerous organizations like the Pan-Mass Challenge, which raises funds for cancer research at Dana-Farber.

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In 2013, Dana-Farber patient Darby Stott launched Team Darby to raise funds in the Boston Marathon^® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai, in support of research in metastatic breast cancer led by her oncologist, Eric P. Winer, MD. Although Darby passed away in 2014, devoted family and friends have continued to walk in her honor each year, raising $121,000 in 2020 to push their 8-year total past an incredible $1 million for The Darby Fund—the 12th Walk team to achieve this milestone in the event’s 32-year history. In December, more than 30 family members, friends, and supporters of Team Darby gathered online for a virtual celebration of this tremendous accomplishment. They were joined by Winer, who spoke on the progress that has been made in treating this devastating disease, thanks to their support.

Above: Members of Team Darby at the Copley Square finish of their inaugural Walk in 2013.

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For more than 25 years, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) has pursued a dedicated mission of preventing and curing breast cancer by supporting groundbreaking research focused on every stage and subtype of the disease. As one of eight institutions awarded grants in BCRF’s inaugural funding cycle in 1994, Dana-Farber has been a proud partner in this cause from the very beginning.

Recently, BCRF awarded 22 Dana-Farber investigators grants totaling nearly $2.1 million. The funded projects, which support early career scientists and senior investigators alike, address key translational and clinical questions with potential to transform the status quo of breast cancer research and care. Funded studies range from exploring the activity of a new antibody therapy in early stage HER2-positive breast cancer to developing novel ways to predict which patients with triple-negative breast cancer will respond to immunotherapies.

The robust list of grantees includes Daniel Abravanel, MD, PhD; Monica Bertagnolli, MD; Myles Brown, MD, director of the Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics and the Emil Frei III, MD, Professor of Medicine; Alan D’Andrea, MD, director of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers and director of the Center for DNA Damage and Repair; Judy Garber, MD, MPH, chief of the Division for Cancer Genetics and Prevention, director of the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome and TP53 Center, and the Susan F. Smith Chair; Sheheryar Kabraji, BM, BCh; William G. Kaelin Jr., MD, the Sidney Farber, MD, Professor of Medicine and 2019 Nobel Laureate; Panagiotis Konstantinopoulos, MD, PhD, director of translational research in the Gynecologic Oncology Program and co-director of the Center for BRCA and Related Genes; Ian Krop, MD, PhD, director of clinical research in the Breast Oncology Program; Nancy Lin, MD, director of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Program and the Program for Patients with Breast Cancer Brain Metastases; Xiaole (Shirley) Liu, PhD, director of the Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics; David Livingston, MD, the Charles A. Dana Chair in Human Cancer Genetics; Ursula Matulonis, MD, chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and the Brock-Wilson Family Chair; Otto Metzger, MD; Elizabeth Mittendorf, MD, PhD, co-director of the Breast Cancer Clinical Research Program and director of the Breast Immuno-Oncology Program; Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, vice chair of Medical Oncology, founder and director of the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer, and director of the Adult Survivorship Program; Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD; Meredith Regan, ScD; Nikhil Wagle, MD; Adrienne Waks, MD; Eric Winer, MD, chief of the Division of Breast Oncology, chief clinical development officer, senior vice president for medical affairs, and the Thompson Chair in Breast Cancer Research; and Jean Zhao, PhD.

“During this undeniably difficult year, we are uplifted by the perseverance and fortitude of Dana-Farber’s world-class scientists,” said BCRF President and CEO Myra Biblowit. “We have no doubt that these dedicated researchers will be deeply involved in achieving our mission to end breast cancer.”

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The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is funding a $2 million research collaboration with Dana-Farber’s Irene Ghobrial, MD, to study smoldering multiple myeloma, a precursor condition that often gives rise to the blood cancer multiple myeloma. As part of this agreement, the foundation may provide additional funding pending initial results.

Combining the strengths of the MMRF, a leader in myeloma data generation, and Dana-Farber, a leader of research on myeloma and its precursor conditions, the initiative aims to identify markers of high-risk smoldering myeloma and develop new treatment strategies that could delay or prevent progression to active disease. The risk of progressing from smoldering to active myeloma is 10% per year, but some patients are more likely to progress rapidly due to certain risk factors, such as genetic abnormalities in their blood. Recent clinical trials show that treating high-risk smoldering myeloma can delay progression, giving patients more time before developing symptoms.

To learn how disease progression occurs and to develop therapies to prevent it, Ghobrial is screening for and studying patients with precursor conditions through the PCROWD and PROMISE studies, which she leads.

Building on these efforts, this landmark collaboration will give 500 patients with smoldering myeloma who are enrolled in PROMISE or PCROWD the opportunity to join the MMRF CureCloud study—a first-of-its-kind, direct-to-patient research initiative—and to donate their blood samples and medical records for in-depth analysis. CureCloud aims to create a massive hub of genomic and clinical data on patients with myeloma and its precursors. The initiative includes a novel in-home blood test designed to uncover the genetic makeup of abnormal blood cells in patients. Test results are returned directly to patients and their physicians.

“This revolutionary collaboration with the MMRF will enable us to build the most comprehensive data set for smoldering multiple myeloma,” said Ghobrial, Lavine Family Chair for Preventative Cancer Therapies, director of the Clinical Investigator Research Program, and head of the Michele and Steven Kirsch Laboratory at Dana-Farber. “Additionally, patients who participate will receive their genomic test results, which may be helpful in determining their risk of progression to active myeloma and their suitability for future clinical trials.”

The mission of the MMRF is to find a cure for every multiple myeloma patient. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a patient with myeloma, and her twin sister, Karen Andrews, the MMRF has built the largest genomics data set of any cancer, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 13 FDA-approved therapies to market.

“Our collaboration with Dana-Farber will allow us to more precisely identify patients at higher risk of progression to active disease,” said MMRF Chief Scientific Officer Daniel Auclair, PhD. “It will also lay the groundwork for clinical trials that could transform the way we treat myeloma in the future.”

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