Robert Vonderheide, MD, PhD, director of the Abramson Cancer Center, and Susan Domchek, MD, executive director of the Basser Center for BRCA, are interviewed on the new Basser Cancer Interception Institute’s efforts studying a vaccine to reduce cancer risk among individuals who carry BRCA1/2 mutations by recognizing and killing cancer cells “before anyone even knew they were there.”

Penn alumni Mindy and Jon Gray have gifted $55 million to the University of Pennsylvania’s Basser Center at the Abramson Cancer Center to establish the Basser Cancer Interception Institute, which aims to target the early stages of hereditary cancers.

Ordering and managing genomic testing in electronic health records significantly cut the time Penn Medicine clinicians spent doing it.

The University of Pennsylvania has received a $55 million gift for the study and treatment of hereditary cancers. The gift, from Penn alumni Mindy and Jon Gray, will be used to establish the Basser Cancer Interception Institute, at the Basser Center.

Funding for the Institute from Mindy and Jon Gray will propel early detection and prevention of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.

Mindy Gray and her husband, Blackstone president Jon Gray, gave the money in honor of Mindy's sister Faith Basser.

Jon and Mindy Gray’s gift will fund an institute focused on early detection of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers. 

The University of Pennsylvania’s Basser Center for BRCA has received a $55 million gift toward cancer treatment and disease interception from two school alums.

Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD, Director of the Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center and Gynecologic Cancer Research in the Basser Center, shares his thoughts on the discovery of a blood vessel-promoting protein interaction found in ovarian tumors.

Kara Maxwell, MD, PhD was invited as a discussant on research relating to germline genetic testing and whether it should be done for all lung cancer patients is probably a bit premature.

After Ashley Dedmon's mother passed away from metastatic breast cancer, she discovered the disease had impacted three generations of women in her family. Ashley shares her journey and how working with the Basser Center for the Black and BRCA Initiative has helped her spread awareness in educating younger generations.

Dana Clark, MS, Basser Center genetic counselor, spoke about the value of genetic testing in cancer prevention, while dispelling myths associated with access and cost. Her patient, Kimyatta, shares her story and strong hereditary link to the disease.

Susan Domchek, MD, Executive Director of the Basser Center, presented on a clinical trial assessing if a vaccine can prevent breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2 mutations from relapsing and prevent healthy people with mutations from developing cancer.

Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, Director of the Abramson Cancer Center, and team are studying immune responses to a vaccine with patients in remission from BRCA-related cancers. Next phase: 28 healthy people with BRCA mutations will receive the vaccine.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, ELLE Magazine spoke with Basser Center Executive Director Susan Domchek and Penn Medicine’s Dr. Carmen Guerra about the ways Basser and the Abramson Cancer Center are leading the charge to provide life-saving cancer screening tests for minority women—and Latinas in particular.