The University of Virginia Cancer Center received gifts totaling $5.75 million from anonymous donors to speed the development of new treatments for rare blood cancers, according to an Aug. 4 press release from the university.
The funds will help establish a new Translational Orphan Blood Cancer Research Initiative Fund. Several projects are already in the pipeline to help doctors better understand and treat blood cancers.
K. Craig Kent, MD, chief executive officer of UVA Health and executive vice president for health affairs at the university, said that these cancers typically receive little attention but collectively impact numerous lives.
"We are deeply grateful for this generous gift that will allow us to conduct important, groundbreaking cancer research and develop new treatments that will benefit patients around the world," Dr. Kent said.