Nike's Knight gives OHSU a record $100M
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) _ Nike founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, will donate $100 million to Oregon Health & Science University's Cancer Center — the largest gift in OHSU's history.
"I've always hoped for a day just like today," an emotional Stephen Sanders, who served as president of OHSU Foundation until he was recently diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, told a crowd gathered for the announcement on Wednesday.
In recognition of the gift, OHSU will rename the state's only National Cancer Institute the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
The first $2 million of the personal gift from the Knights will go for work at the Linda Conant Laboratory Suite, newly named for a friend of the Knight family who died of breast cancer in January. The remaining $98 million will be used at the discretion of the institute's director, cancer researcher Dr. Brian Druker.
"Unfortunately, cancer touches all of our lives," Knight said in a statement. "Penny and I believe because of the work of Dr. Druker and his talented staff that the Linda Conants of the future will have more quality years to spend with their loved ones."
Knight also called Druker "nothing short of a genius and a visionary."
Druker is a recognized national leader in cancer research. His work was key in developing the drug Gleevec, the first pill that proved successful in stopping chronic myeloid leukemia, an often deadly form of cancer. The drug was developed partly by OHSU, and Druker led the first human trials on Gleevec's use.
Gleevec is now approved by federal regulators for treatment of six other cancers.
Druker called the gift "transformational," saying it would be used to "save lives that would otherwise be lost to cancer."
The cancer institute conducts more than 1,000 research projects and manages about 400 clinical trials per year.
Druker said the money would help OHSU attract top researchers and keep existing faculty members at OHSU, which has been struggling with budget cuts.
"This is a historic event for OHSU," said President Joseph Robertson, "The Knights' gift will not only impact Oregonians with cancer, but will ultimately change the lives of patients around the world."
The donation is a personal gift from the Knights and not from Nike, or its charitable arm, the Nike Foundation.
This is a press release courtesy of the Oregon Health & Science University:
Oregon Health & Science University today announced that Philip H. and Penny Knight have pledged to give $100 million to the OHSU Cancer Institute. The Nike founder's gift – the largest in the history of OHSU – represents a critical step toward achieving the cancer institute's ambitious goal to make Oregon's cancer death rate the lowest in the nation.
In recognition of the transformational impact the donors' generosity will have on the treatment of cancer, OHSU will rename its cancer institute – the state's only National Cancer Institute-designated center – the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
The first $2 million of the gift will name the Linda Conant Laboratory Suite, a key component of the Center for Cancer Cell Signaling in OHSU's new Biomedical Research Building. Conant, who died of breast cancer in January, was a close friend of the Knight family. The remaining $98 million will establish the OHSU Cancer Institute Knight Fund for use at the discretion of the institute's director. Acclaimed cancer researcher Brian Druker, M.D., assumed that post in 2007 with the goal of making Oregon the national leader in the prevention and treatment of cancer. "Brian Druker is nothing short of a genius and a visionary," said Knight. "Unfortunately, cancer touches all of our lives. Penny and I believe because of the work of Dr. Druker and his talented staff that the Linda Conants of the future will have more quality years to spend with their loved ones." "We deeply appreciate the Knights' extraordinary generosity," OHSU President Joseph Robertson, M.D., M.B.A., said. "This is an historic event for OHSU. The Knights' gift will not only impact Oregonians with cancer, but will ultimately change the lives of patients around the world. It also represents for Oregonians a tremendous return on their investment in OHSU through the Oregon Opportunity, which was used to build the laboratories needed to recruit world-renowned scientists in cancer and a number of other fields. Today OHSU is in a position to earn additional support on an unprecedented scale, all for the purpose of achieving its highest aspiration: improving the health and well-being of all Oregonians." The donation is also "a tremendous expression of belief and confidence in Brian Druker and his strong track record of success," Robertson said. "This opportunity will allow a most deserving and capable physician-scientist to fulfill the vision we share with the Knights — to win the war on cancer in Oregon and beyond."
Druker said the impact of the gift will be far-reaching. "This is a transformational gift for the cancer institute and OHSU. I am so proud to have Phil and Penny Knight's tremendous support in our fight to end cancer as we know it. The Knights understand the urgency of our mission. This gift will save lives." Druker, who holds the JELD-WEN chair of leukemia research at OHSU and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, said his top priority is to recruit and retain outstanding cancer researchers and clinicians to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. In a highly competitive market for top faculty, the gift will help the institute attract researchers from other top cancer centers in the nation while motivating its existing faculty to remain at OHSU. OHSU can create powerful synergies, he said, by bringing the best and brightest minds together in one place, equipping them with the best resources, and supporting their efforts to target the underlying causes of cancer. The resulting breakthroughs will benefit cancer patients everywhere, Druker said, and Oregonians will benefit from having access to many of them first. "By bringing faculty of the highest caliber to Oregon, OHSU will be better able to provide the latest and most advanced therapies to more cancer patients, while ramping up our statewide cancer screening and prevention efforts through partnerships with community hospitals and healthcare providers." A world-renowned researcher and National Academy of Sciences member, Druker led the development of Gleevec, a targeted cancer pill that has revolutionized cancer research. The drug works by targeting and turning off specific proteins in cancer cells that drive the growth of tumors while leaving healthy cells alone. Initially approved to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia, Gleevec is also now approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for six other cancers and is being tested in other forms of the disease. "This gift's real impact will be measured by how many Oregonians survive cancer because of what Phil and Penny Knight have made possible," said Constance French, interim president of the OHSU Foundation. "We are honored and deeply grateful that the Knights have chosen to partner with us in the fight against cancer through this exceptional gift."