Miami-based Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center received a gift of $126 million to advance its work in finding cures for cancer and expanding treatment options for cancer patients.
The center, part of the University of Miami Health System and University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, is the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in South Florida, and one of only two in Florida.
The gift is the largest in the University of Miami's history and was made in honor of Stephen D. Nimer, MD, director of Sylvester and the Oscar de la Renta endowed chair in cancer research. The gift was an anonymous bequest from a family Dr. Nimer has known for decades.
"With a gift of this size, it’s our goal to maximize its impact, ensuring that we invest in programs and people who can change outcomes for as many patients as possible. That will mean a legacy that lasts for generations to come," said Dr. Nimer.
A part of the gift will be used to accelerate research in cancer epigenetics and the cancer center's experimental therapeutics program. The funds have already been used to recruit an expert in experimental therapeutics, the cancer center said.