Dateline DFCI
Belfer Center to help the Institute set pace in genetic research
As it enters what Institute President David G. Nathan, M.D., calls a "molecular revolution in cancer research," Dana-Farber will remain on the cutting edge of genetic discovery and treatment, thanks to the generosity and foresight of a New York family.
Research by Elizabeth Maher, M.D., Ph.D., and Ronald DePinho, M.D., will benefit from the Belfer Grant.
The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Cancer Genomics Center is a state-of-the-art facility that will enable Dana-Farber researchers to pinpoint the genetic mutations in cancer-relevant genes with far greater clarity than ever before. Made possible by a $5 million grant from the Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Foundation in New York City, the center has been established in the Institute's Louis B. Mayer Building.
As it becomes fully operational, the center will consist of shared laboratories and equipment, along with a group of physician/scientists to guide experiments on a daily basis. They will be assisted by research fellows, technicians, a bioinformation expert, a facility manager, and other support staff.
Ronald DePinho, M.D., of Adult Oncology and Stanley Korsmeyer, M.D., director of the Program in Molecular Oncology, serve as coprincipal investigators leading the creation of a world-class center for functional genomics. Lynda Chin, M.D., and Matthew Meyerson, M.D., Ph.D., of Adult Oncology, act as co-directors. These four are joined by Todd Golub, M.D., of Pediatric Oncology, and Kornelia Polyak, M.D., Ph.D., of Adult Oncology, on the center's Scientific Advisory Committee
