The latest news and information about our Moon Shots Program and its initial cancers.
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Lyda Hill commits $50 million to Moon Shots Program
Hill’s transformational gift is the largest single private philanthropic contribution to date in support of this ambitious effort to dramatically reduce cancer deaths. In recognition of Hill’s generosity to the program, MD Anderson will name the Lyda Hill Cancer Prevention Center in her honor.
Read full article at mdanderson.org
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UT MD Anderson Cancer Center launches unprecedented Moon Shots Program
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announces the launch of the Moon Shots Program, an unprecedented effort to dramatically accelerate the pace of converting scientific discoveries into clinical advances that reduce cancer deaths.
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Drug combination against NRAS-mutant melanoma discovered
Melanoma patients have different responses to therapy, depending on what genes are mutated in their tumors. About half of melanomas have a mutation in the BRAF gene; while a quarter have a mutation in the NRAS gene. For the first time, this study provides new hope for patients with NRAS-mutant melanoma that an effective targeted treatment might be developed in the coming years. -
Scientists discover melanoma-driving genetic changes caused by sun damage
By creating a method to spot the drivers in a sea of passengers, scientists have identified six genes with driving mutations in melanoma, three of which have recurrent ‘hotspot’ mutations as a result of damage inflicted by UV light.
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Moon Shot Coverage
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Chron: Houston is fortunate to have a leader in the fight against cancer at UT’s M.D. Anderson
For Dr. Ronald DePinho, the fight against cancer is personal. He was already a lauded researcher and clinician in 1998 when his father – an immigrant from Portugal who came to the U.S. as a stowaway in a ship’s cargo container and earned his citizenship by fighting in World War II – lost his battle with colon cancer.
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Chron: ‘Moon Shots’ endeavor gives cancer patients hope
Patients with cancers targeted in The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s soon-to-be-launched “Moon Shots Program” expressed hope on Friday that the intensive $3 billion research will lead to breakthroughs.
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AP: Texas hospital plans “moonshot” against cancer
The nation’s largest cancer center is launching a massive “moonshot” effort against eight specific forms of the disease, similar to the all-out push for space exploration 50 years ago.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston expects to spend as much as $3 billion on the project over the next 10 years and already has “tens of millions” of dollars in gifts to jump start it now, said its president, Dr. Ronald DePinho.
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Chron: MD Anderson launches $3 billion fight against common cancers
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center on Friday will announce an ambitious initiative to dramatically reduce the death rates of eight common and difficult cancers. The $3 billion effort, dubbed the Moon Shots Program, will bring together large teams of researchers and clinicians to mount attacks in the next decade on cancers that annually account for nearly 750,000 cases and more than 260,000 deaths.
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WSJ: Cancer center sets $3 billion program
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is launching a multibillion-dollar initiative on Friday aimed at reducing cancer deaths over the next decade, saying a flurry of recent advances in genomics and other technologies has laid a foundation for making major new strides against the disease.
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CNN: Launching a new war on cancer
Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy came to Houston and told the world that the United States would go to the moon before the end of the 1960s.
On Friday, Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center is announcing its own “Moon Shots Program,” aimed at significantly reducing the number of deaths from a handful of cancers by the end of this decade.
Media & Downloads
Download the latest video and audio podcasts about the Moon Shots Program and cancers.
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Podcast
Ronald DePinho, M.D., president of MD Anderson, discusses the origins of the Moon Shots Program, considered to be unprecedented in scope and ambition for a single institution, and shares what patients can expect for the future.
Press Contact
Our media specialists can help find and arrange interviews with Moon Shot leaders or other cancer experts at MD Anderson. Contact the media team with requests at 713-792-0655.