Right time, right place
Our goal is ambitious, but the time is right. The molecular understanding of cancer cells — aided immeasurably by the completion of the Human Genome Project — has reached a point where we are increasingly able to target specific weaknesses in diseased cells without harming normal ones (the Achilles' heel of conventional therapies). Advances are coming on so many fronts — in our knowledge of the genetic patterns that distinguish tumors from one another, of the immune system's role in fighting cancer, of the care environments most beneficial to patients — that it is imperative that we seize this moment to achieve the goal for which we were created.
The time is right for such an effort, and Dana-Farber is the right organization to undertake it. As an institution focused entirely on cancer and related diseases, DFCI can bring a wholehearted intensity to this project that isn't easily matched elsewhere. And as the hub institution of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, it can rally the world's premier assemblage of scientific and clinical expertise in cancer.
Dana-Farber has always been a magnet for talented people — researchers, caregivers, support staff, volunteers, donors, trustees, and friends. Although we cannot know, at this point, which forms of cancer we will defeat in the coming years, we can be confident that with a concerted, persevering effort, we will succeed. I look forward to sharing our progress with you.
