Download Hovnanian Foundation gives U-M $1.65M for adrenal cancer research

March 18, 2015
For more information, contact:
Nicole Fawcett, [email protected]
734-764-2220
For immediate release
Hovnanian Foundation gives U-M $1.65M for adrenal
cancer research
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
received a $1.65 million gift from the Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Foundation to fund
adrenal cancer research. The gift will further the work of Gary D. Hammer, M.D.,
Ph.D., and Shruti Jolly, M.D., who treated a member of the Hovnanian family for
adrenal cancer.
The bulk of the gift, $1.5 million, will go toward establishing a named Adrenal Cancer
Repository and Genomic Database. This gift will enable Hammer and his team of
researchers to conduct the world’s most comprehensive genomic and genetic
analysis of adrenal cancer, which will facilitate translational and clinical research in
adrenal cancer. It will help expand and further activate the largest adrenal tumor
bank, which is pivotal to uncover the molecular mechanisms of tumor growth and
novel insights that will lead to the next generation of adrenal cancer therapies.
The gift will also provide the critical infrastructure needed to establish an integrated,
secure database of genetic data, patient data and scores of other factors gleaned
from the tumor samples. This database will allow researchers globally to access the
information, identify biomarkers and genetic markers of adrenal cancer, study the
genetic syndromes for these tumors, and accelerate discovery by enabling largescale, long-term longitudinal studies of patients.
For a rare disease, the researchers note, it is essential to have this type of
collaborative global effort.
“The Hovnanian gift is transformative by providing critical support to the Endocrine
Oncology Program in the emerging era of personalized medicine when every cancer
will surely be genetically sequenced to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of adrenal
cancer,” said Tobias Else, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at U-M, who
will lead the genomic database.
The other $150,000 will support integrative oncology research being pursued by
Jolly, associate professor of radiation oncology at U-M. She is studying the role of
exercise, nutrition and other integrative modalities during cancer treatment.
“Our family’s foundation has shown a huge commitment to health care institutions
over the last decade, so when I traveled to Michigan I knew I was getting the best
treatment and was in the best hands in the world,” says Armen Hovnanian, trustee of
the Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Foundation. “After my treatment, I welcomed helping
the gifted doctors at the University of Michigan who have devoted their lives to this
cancer, and encouraged our family’s support to move their vision forward. And we
did it gladly.”
“For rare diseases and particularly extremely rare cancers, grateful patients and
empowered families are increasingly changing the landscape of medical discovery.
We are extremely grateful for our partnership with the Hovnanian family and together
look forward with optimism and hope to the eradication of this dreadful disease,”
says Hammer, Millie Schembechler Professor of Adrenal Cancer at the U-M
Comprehensive Cancer Center.
About the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center:
The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center has more than 400 faculty
members delivering the highest quality, compassionate care to today’s patients and
researching ways to improve the treatments of tomorrow. It’s our mission: the
conquest of cancer through innovation and collaboration. The U-M Comprehensive
Cancer Center is among the top-ranked national cancer programs for both research
and patient care. It is one of 41 centers designated "comprehensive" by the National
Cancer Institute and one of 25 institutions that make up the National Comprehensive
Cancer Network, which sets national guidelines for consistent, high-quality and costeffective cancer care. Learn more at www.mcancer.org or call the U-M Cancer
AnswerLine at 800-865-1125.
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