A $2 million gift will establish the Lester M. and Irene C. Finkelstein Chair in Biology at City of Hope, which supports basic research into the causes of cancer. Gerd Pfeifer, Ph.D., co-leader of City of Hope’s Cancer Biology Program and professor and chair of the Division of Biology, is the first holder of the chair.
Pfeifer is known for research that explores chemical changes in the DNA of tumor cells. Most notably, his efforts helped identify the molecular link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.
The National Institutes of Health recently recognized Pfeifer by awarding him the largest of eight national grants in the Cancer Genome Atlas project, which aims to develop innovative technologies to detect and treat cancer. In the project’s pilot phase, Pfeifer and investigators at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University and other nationally recognized institutions focus on genetic changes associated with lung, ovarian and brain cancers.
“City of Hope’s Division of Biology has played a major role in the understanding of the causes of cancer,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and chief executive office. “Under Dr. Pfeifer’s leadership, and with the generous support of gifts like the Finkelstein endowment, the program can continue to excel in its discoveries, which can lead to the identification of new approaches for prevention and early detection.”
City of Hope’s Cancer Biology Program investigates the biological effects of carcinogens such as solar UV radiation, cigarette smoke and mutagenic food components.
“Cancer will be diagnosed in an estimated 1.5 million people this year,” said Pfeifer. “This funding will support our efforts to gain a more complete understanding of the basic genetic, molecular and biological mechanisms of cancer. This gift will also help accelerate our efforts so that improved diagnostic tools can be developed to address the disease in its earliest stages, when it is most treatable.”
The chair was established through a bequest from the Finkelsteins, residents of Beverly Hills, Calif. “Irene Finkelstein was a longtime supporter of City of Hope and had a great deal of confidence in the work of the institution,” said Leonard Unger, a Finkelstein family spokesperson. “She wanted to help ensure it would continue, so that the causes of cancer can be identified and new therapies developed to better treat the disease.”