NEW YORK — Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) said on Tuesday that it has received a $25 million donation to accelerate its precision cancer medicine program.
HFHS has been developing the program for years, kicking off a precision oncology effort in partnership with Catholic Health Initiatives and Syapse in 2016 and establishing the Henry Ford Cancer Institute the next year.
Detroit-based HFHS said the gift, which was provided by real estate developer Chris Jefferies and his wife Lisa, will advance its translational research and support the creation of a dedicated Precision Health Center.
"By analyzing genetic and nongenetic factors, we can gain a better understanding of how a disease forms, progresses, and can be treated in a specific patient," Tom Mikkelsen, medical director of HFHS' Precision Medicine Program and Clinical Trials Office, said in a statement. "As of now, we can check for more than 500 genomic markers, which helps us understand the pattern of changes in a patient's tumor cells that influence how cancer grows and spreads. I'm confident this gift will lead to advancements that provide hope for patients with even the most complex diagnoses."