University of Virginia Cancer Center
University of Virginia Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center affiliated with the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the UVA Health System.
Focused on research and education, UVA Cancer Center has more than 250 member faculty researchers supported by more than $82 million in annual funding. The center also conducts regional outreach to improve awareness of cancer risks and access to screening and treatment.
UVA Cancer Center is one of 57 comprehensive centers designated by the NCI, and the first in Virginia.
History
The University of Virginia Cancer Center was founded in 1984 and has been NCI-designated since 1987. This status is reviewed every five years. Its comprehensive designation became effective February 1, 2022.The center's director, Thomas P. Loughran Jr., discovered and is considered a leading expert in large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia. He succeeded Michael J. Weber, who stepped down in 2013 after twelve years of service.
UVA Cancer Center is funded as a partner in the federal Cancer Moonshot. The initiative is led by the Biden administration and in 2022 set new goals of reducing the cancer death rate by half within 25 years while improving the lives of people with cancer and survivors.
UVA Cancer Center is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy. It is a leader in treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome and an MDS Foundation Center of Excellence.
Research
The UVA Cancer Center's member researchers represent UVA's schools of Medicine, Nursing, Engineering and Applied Science, Education, Data Science, and the College of Arts and Sciences. Its primary research is divided into four collaborative, transdisciplinary programs:- Cancer Biology
- Molecular Genetics and Epigenetics
- Cancer Therapeutics
- Cancer Prevention and Population Health
UVA Cancer Center's research findings include:
- Discovery of the gene responsible for glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer. UVA researchers also found that the same gene factors in two forms of the childhood cancer rhabdomyosarcoma.
- Identification of a gene contributing to small-cell lung cancer, that when manipulated halted the disease's spread in mice
- Discovery of link between the gut biome and the spread of breast cancer
- Discovery of an inhibitor protein that is inactive in patients with hard-to-treat "triple negative" breast cancer
- Analysis determining that Black and Asian lung cancer patients wait averages of 5 and 11 days longer than white patients for initiation of radiation therapy, respectively
- Discovery of a form of RNA prevalent in prostate cancers that could serve as a target for treatments
Patients who receive cancer treatment at UVA can participate in its Partners in Discovery program by consenting to donate tumor tissue from surgeries and information about their health and treatment. Analyses of these specimens and other data is anonymously entered into the nationwide databases to support research, to further the development of personalized medicine, and to expedite access to clinical trials.