Our Mission
- Accelerating pancreatic cancer research
- Translating discoveries into improved patient outcomes
- Fostering collaboration at Dana-Farber and across Boston’s biomedical community
About the Center
The Hale Family Research Center, directed by Brian Wolpin, MD, PhD, is fueling a pioneering effort to address challenges in pancreatic cancer
prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Center is already transforming our understanding about the biology driving this disease.
In addition, the Hale Family Research Center is fostering collaboration at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute — and across the world-class Boston biomedical community — to accelerate pancreatic cancer research and rapidly translate discoveries into improved
patient outcomes.
The Hale Family Research Center is uniting experts in the areas of:
The Center is driving a concerted, multidisciplinary effort that has already led to substantial advances in understanding the molecular basis for pancreatic cancer and in developing novel therapies. Some of our cutting-edge approaches include the use
of:
- Tumor organoid cultures
- Patient-derived xenografts
- Genetically-engineered mouse models
As a catalyst for discovery, the Hale Family Research Center:
- Has facilitated numerous high-impact publications
- Has led to additional grant funding (PanCAN, Lustgarten)
- Has already made a clinical impact
The Center is actively seeking partnerships within the pharmaceutical and biotech industries to promote new treatment modalities, and welcomes new alliances that lead to accomplishing this goal.
The Center was founded by a generous donation from the Hale family. In 2007, the Robert T. Hale Sr. and Judith B. Hale Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research was established, marking
the beginning of the Hale family’s long legacy of giving. Over the next five years, the family’s visionary philanthropy would lead to the creation of the Hale Family Research Center at Dana-Farber and the Robert T. and Judith B. Hale Chair in Pancreatic Cancer at Dana-Farber,
held by Dr. Wolpin.
Our Investigators
The following investigators are currently affiliated with the Hale Family Research Center:
Brian M. Wolpin, MD, MPH
Andrew Aguirre, MD, PhD
Stephanie K. Dougan, PhD
Nathanael Gray, PhD
William C. Hahn, MD, PhD
Joseph D. Mancias, MD, PhD
Franziska Michor, PhD
Michael Rosenthal, MD, PhD
Learn More about the Center
Read more about the Hale Family Research Center's research and discovery, investigators, and strategic alliances.