With a grant of $100 million made by the Starr Foundation and announced at a Sept. 21 press conference, Weill Cornell Medical College officially became one of five internationally renowned research institutions to be named part of the new Starr Cancer Consortium. The partnership, which links Weill Cornell with the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and The Rockefeller University, will provide a framework for research that builds on the complementary strengths of each institution, specifically each institution's research into the genetic basis of the disease. In addition to sharing knowledge, the consortium will also provide an opportunity for scientists to utilize cooperative technologies.
Dean Antonio Gotto (left) and Maurice Greenberg
Maurice Greenberg, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Starr Foundation and chairman emeritus of the Board of Trustees at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, cited the strength of the institutions as critical to his gift. "What really motivated us was to bring the best institutions to work together and share their knowledge, to promote collaborations rather than having separate centers of knowledge," Mr. Greenberg said. "Discoveries will be made much more rapidly with these institutions working together."
Weill Cornell Dean Antonio Gotto Jr. praised the Starr Foundation's foresight in funding research during a time when the number of federal research grants has been drastically reduced. According to Science, 2005 marks the lowest amount of NIH money awarded for both new and continuing grant submissions since 1999. The percentage of grants funded also fell to its lowest point over the seven-year period.
"Mr. Greenberg and the Starr Foundation had the foresight to make a major gift in this field and this promising area of research at a time when we face a series of intensely difficult periods of funding from the NIH," Dean Gotto said. "There is no question that both initial investigators as well as long-standing, established researchers are having increasing difficulty getting grants funded. A gift of this type for these five institutions coming at such a critical time is especially important."
The Starr Foundation grant will be earmarked specifically for joint projects involving two or more institutions, including several highly promising initiatives already under way. Key areas of focus for the Starr Cancer Consortium will include:
- Creation or accelerated development of powerful technology platforms designed to unravel the genetic and molecular basis of cancers.
- Application of these technologies in joint projects aimed at developing new and highly effective approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
- Support for basic biological research to provide insights into the fundamental molecular and cellular processes underlying cancer.
The Starr Foundation, with assets today of approximately $3.5 billion, has donated funding in excess of $2 billion since its establishment in 1955—with more than $1 billion in New York City alone—making it one of the largest private foundations in the United States. The foundation supports education, cultural institutions, medicine and health care, human needs, public policy and the environment.
Near the end of the press conference, Mr. Greenberg turned to Dean Gotto and said, "This is a major step forward in the fight against cancer. I am convinced that this team of five major research institutions will make great strides in the years ahead to find the cause-and the cure-for cancer."