Support for Research

Cancer

breaking new ground

UCSF has long played a leadership role in the quest to conquer cancer. The University established the country’s first Cancer Research Institute in 1948, and UCSF is today one of only three federally designated “comprehensive” cancer centers affiliated with a consistently top-ranked school of medicine. This prized recognition by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) signals a unique integration of research and patient care, which has consistently led to discoveries that advanced our knowledge of cancer.

A major force in this incremental progress is the world-renowned Cancer Research Institute (CRI). Collectively, CRI researchers—led by 15 of the top scientists in the field today—are creating a body of work crucial for understanding the basic biological mechanisms of cancer and halting the progression of this deadly disease.

While the CRI serves as a hub for laboratory-based investigations, other research, including clinical trials and population studies, takes place throughout the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. UCSF is home to programs in breast cancer, prostate cancer and brain cancer that have received the prestigious Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) designation from the NCI. Programs in pancreatic cancer, melanoma and others are also developing rapidly.

Private support is needed to provide these and other world-class scientists with optimal facilities for their work, including funding for construction of the new Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building at UCSF Mission Bay. This state-of-the-art research facility will house the CRI as well as the Brain Tumor Research Center and the Urologic Oncology Research Program in an environment specifically designed to accommodate the latest technologies and encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Gifts to this priority will substantially speed up the introduction of advanced cancer diagnostics, treatments and preventive measures.

To support cancer research at UCSF, contact please contact Ann Carollo at 415/502-2404 or acarollo@support.ucsf.edu.