UChicago Medicine receives $20 million gift for cancer care and research
CHICAGO (CBS) -- UChicago Medicine announced Wednesday that it has received a $20 million boost in the fight against cancer.
The gift from Susan and Tandean Rustandy will support a seven-story 575,000 square-foot cancer care and research pavilion on 57th Street between Maryland and Drexel avenues on the University of Chicago Medical Center campus. Construction has already begun for the facility.
The new center will be Illinois' only freestanding facility dedicated solely to cancer. It is set to open in 2027 and has a total cost of $815 million.
The $815 million project advances the University of Chicago's and UChicago Medicine's goals for cancer prevention, health equity, and survivorship, UChicago Medicine said. It also builds off UChicago Medicine's leadership in cancer research, the medical group said – noting that it has held the National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation since 1974 and has been an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Care Center since 2008.
There are only two NCI comprehensive cancer care centers in Illinois.
Tandean Rustandy is a trustee on the boards of both the U of C and UChicago Medicine. He noted the need for improved cancer research and treatment – since cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., and new cancer cases are expected to increase 49 percent between 2015 and 2050.
"These statistics are a stark reminder of the importance of advancing research and treatment options to make a tangible difference in the lives of patients and their families," Rustandy said in a news release.
UChicago Medicine noted that the gift will help clinicians, physician-scientist, and researchers find new treatments – including new cellular therapies to target more types of cancers, and radiotheranostics, which attack cancer cells without damaging healthy cells.
"The new cancer pavilion represents the future of oncology," Dr. Mark Anderson, executive vice president for medical affairs and Dean of the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago, said in the release. "Philanthropic partners like the Rustandys bring this future closer for the physicians and scientists in their pursuit to find cures for cancer and for the countless number of people across the globe who will benefit from their achievements."
