LOS ANGELES (CNS) – City of Hope officials Wednesday were celebrating the receipt of a $150 million gift from philanthropists A. Emmet Stephenson Jr. and his daughter Tessa Stephenson Brand to support pancreatic cancer research — the largest donation in the cancer center’s history.
According to the cancer center, the donation is equivalent to nearly two- thirds of the total annual research budget for pancreatic cancer from the National Cancer Institute.
The donation was made in honor of Toni Stephenson, who survived lymphoma but died from pancreatic cancer in 2020. Emmet and Toni met in kindergarten and were married for nearly 53 years.
“We want to ignite interest and encourage pancreatic cancer research worldwide. We know that cancer discoveries require significant funding, which is why Tessa and I believe multiple elements of this gift will make a difference in fighting this terrible disease,” A. Emmet Stephenson Jr. said in a statement. “This initiative is a purposeful investment to spur ingenuity and ensure that the most promising advances move forward as fast as possible. We believe City of Hope is an excellent partner for this program to facilitate lifesaving work.”
Included in the gift is the $1 million Stephenson Prize, described as one of the largest privately funded awards for scientific investigation. It will be awarded annually to a leading scientist or team “making the most promising advancements in pancreatic cancer research, treatment and cures.”
The prize, the first of which will be awarded next year, will be open to individual investigators and teams of researchers at institutions around the world.
“The Stephensons are entrepreneurs who believe in groundbreaking innovation, and City of Hope is a pioneer driving transformational change in cancer care. We are honored to receive their visionary gift, the single largest in City of Hope’s 111-year history,” Robert Stone, CEO of City of Hope and the Helen and Morgan Chu Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair, said in a statement. “It is evidence that City of Hope is best positioned to catalyze collaboration among the nation’s top scientific minds, disrupting traditional research models and accelerating breakthroughs that ultimately lead to cures.”
According to City of Hope, pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer, resulting in the third-most deaths of any cancer type and the worst average five-year survival rate, at 13%.
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