Nike co-founder, Phil Knight and his wife Penny Knight, promise to give $500 million as a Cancer Research grant in one condition-- the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) has to match it in two years.
Knight made the announcement before the 400 guests in downtown Portland’s The Nines Hotel by saying, “Here's $500 million for cancer research, if OHSU can match it in the next two years.”
Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute is one of the top cancer centers in the United States.
Dr. Brian Druker, Director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, said that Mr. Knight’s offer was “brilliant.”
Druker said on Saturday, roughly four to five months ago, he talked to Mr. Knight with a daring request of $1 billion for his institute to help, ultimately, not only cure cancer but also detect and prevent it even before it spreads.
With Knight’s offer, "They've challenged us, but they've also challenged the nation in some respects," said Druker to Oregon Live, pointing out the monetary offer.
"There's no reason that we can't, and won't, become the premier cancer institute in this country," Druker added.
Druker and other OHSU leaders are still staggering from Knight’s challenge plus a sleepless night.
Joe Robertson, President of OHSU told Oregon Live, the donation gives his institution "the opportunity to move from excellence to true preeminence" in the course of cancer treatment.
Now, Druker and Robertson have already begun thinking of the possibilities and the chance of entertaining people that would come to Portland to learn with the best researchers and faculty.
The presence of financial support would increase the level of science and clinical care in their region and it would ensure patients in the Northwest access to the best clinical experiments worldwide. OHSU could keep on researching and exploring cancer, as well as, treating it from the molecular level up to early detection.
If OHSU won’t be able to complete the challenge, there will be no consolation prize, so they are spending all their time, even vacation leaves filed, just to make sure of their success.
However, the Knights are still unreachable as of the moment for comments.
