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4d ago

UCSF and Stanford Secure $100 Million Weill Matching Gift to Launch $200 Million West Coast Cancer Hub

The $100 million pledge from the Weill Family Foundation kick-starts four translational efforts—encompassing in-body CRISPR editing; personalized cell therapies; metabolic/diet-based interventions; AI-driven treatment planning—all targeting clinical milestones within three years.

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Stanford pathology professor Jonathan Long is co-leading a project funded by the Weill Cancer Hub, a collaboration between UCSF and Stanford.
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Overview

  • The Weill Family Foundation has committed a $100 million matching gift to the Weill Cancer Hub West, and UCSF and Stanford have already raised about $25 million toward the $200 million goal.
  • The hub’s inaugural grants support four ambitious research streams: CRISPR-based in vivo immunotherapy, personalized cell therapies for solid tumors, metabolic/diet-based cancer interventions, and AI-driven personalized treatment planning.
  • Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna is collaborating on the in-body CRISPR project, and teams led by Crystal Mackall and Justin Eyquem aim to secure FDA investigational new drug approval and launch first clinical trials within three years.
  • Researchers will probe how GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy influence inflammation and cancer progression to identify metabolic levers that may enhance treatment efficacy.
  • By pooling data and expertise across UCSF and Stanford through this collaborative hub, researchers plan to accelerate translational breakthroughs at a time when federal funding has grown less predictable.