A visionary $100 million matching grant from the Weill Family Foundation is bringing together two cancer centers to launch the Weill Cancer Hub West. A July 23 press release from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Stanford Medicine stated that the initiative will harness the expertise and resources of two institutions—the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Stanford Cancer Institute—to lead cross-specialty collaborations.

According to the new release, the new hub is supported by funding from Joan and Sanford I. Weill via the Weill Family Foundation. The two partner institutions have committed to raising $50 million each in matching gifts, bringing the total support to $200 million over the next 10 years. “This is the second cancer hub of its kind, following the March announcement of the Weill Cancer Hub East with four institutions on the East Coast: Weill Cornell Medicine, Princeton University, The Rockefeller University, and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.”

The press release outlined three key focus areas for the new hub: human cells and tissues to better understand how cancer develops and affects each patient; data science to support early detection, diagnosis, and effective treatments; and new therapies to overcome drug resistance and inadequate responses.

The following projects will be launched:

• Project VITAL, to create a new generation of cellular therapies, using CRISPR technology to engineer immune cells inside the body
• Project PROMISE, leveraging artificial intelligence and cellular engineering to safely and precisely destroy the most treatment-resistant solid tumors
• Project FEAST, to identify and optimize diet and drug interventions to reduce cancer development, progression, and metastasis
• Project IMPACT to build artificial intelligence systems that integrate clinical and biological data for precise, personalized cancer treatments

Additionally, the press release stated that the teams will study how new diabetes drugs affect cancer and which foods slow down cancer’s progression or reduce the risk of developing it in the first place.

“With the combined power of the brightest scientific minds and AI capabilities, the Weill Cancer Hub West will develop new ways to detect cancers at their very earliest stages, create advanced new treatments, and help patients live longer and better lives,” Sandy Weill said in a statement.

“Stanford and UCSF are well-positioned to advance the collaborative, next-generation research that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of countless people in America and around the world,” Stanford President Jonathan Levin, Ph.D., shared in a statement.