The Latest from OHSU  Knight Cancer Institute

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is an international leader in cancer research and personalized cancer treatment. The director, Brian Druker, M.D., helped usher in the era of personalized cancer medicine with his discovery that cancer cells could be shut down by disabling the molecules that drive their growth without harming healthy cells. The drug that resulted from that research, Gleevec®, revolutionized how cancer is treated. It also inspired a new wave of exploration of treatments that target cancer-causing molecules.

Ending cancer as we know it

With the mission of ending cancer as we know it, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute continues to build its scientific and clinical leadership and cancer treatment resources. Public support and private philanthropy – including a transformative $100 million gift from Nike Chairman Phil Knight and his wife Penny in 2008 – have provided crucial resources to advance our progress.

Most recently, Dr. Druker's plans to advance the early detection of cancer beyond methods used today, so that it's possible to catch and treat the biological triggers of the disease, inspired Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, to pledge a $500 million donation to Knight Cancer if OHSU raised an additional $500 million as part of a two-year fundraising campaign. Thousands of donors from across the country and around the globe stepped up to the Knight Cancer Challenge, and OHSU announced the completion of the challenge on June 25, 2015.

Knight Cancer is also attracting powerful research collaborations with technology leaders who want to be part of our mission.