Parker Institute to Progress Cancer Immunotherapy Research

Friends Proud to be Launch Partner for Initiative                     

Los Angeles, CA, April 13, 2016 –  Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) is proud to be a launch partner for the new Parker Institute.

Announced today, the Institute was created through a $250M donation by Sean Parker. To date, this is the single largest donation dedicated to cancer immunotherapy research.

The Institute aims to improve cancer treatment by working with top researchers from six of the biggest cancer research centers across the country to focus on immunotherapy.

“We know that collaboration is a vital component of progress in cancer research,” said Ryan Hohman, managing director of Friends. “The new Parker Institute is providing an important push in the field and we are thrilled to be a partner in this effort.”

The collaborative initiative aspires to fund projects previously deemed too complicated or overly ambitious for funding. Additionally, the collaborative aspect of the Institute aims to ensure patients receive the newest immunotherapy cancer treatments as quickly and safely as possible.

“We’re ecstatic to see the dedication and commitment shown across the country at varying levels to destroying the diseases that makeup cancer,” said chair and founder of Friends, Ellen Sigal. “Between the National Cancer ‘Moonshot’ Initiative, the recently announced donation of $125M to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for cancer immunotherapy research and today’s announcement of the Parker Institute there is no doubt we are getting closer to conquering cancer.”

About Friends of Cancer Research
Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) drives collaboration among partners from every healthcare sector to power advances in science, policy and regulation that speed life-saving treatments to patients.