John Wayne Cancer Institute Receives $5 Million Grant:

The John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI) announced Friday that it had received a $5 million grant from Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson. It’s the largest single contribution the Institute has ever received, and will be used by the Institute to expand existing research and develop new fields of study. The Institute is and will continue to be affiliated with Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica. “We are honored to be affiliated with the Institute and its fine team of doctors and researchers, and we look forward to providing continuing assistance in its fight against cancer and its search for cures,” said Adelson, a member of the JWCI Board of Directors and Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas and the Sands Macao in China.“This gift will enhance the Institute’s research programs by funding the recruitment of additional world-class basic research scientists and clinical investigators,” said Dr. Donald L. Morton, President and Surgeon-In-Chief of JWCI. The Institute conducts interdisciplinary basic, clinical and translational research, and applies it to modern cancer treatment. Its team of scientists and clinical researchers studies numerous types of cancer as part of its continuing effort to find a cure or control for each cancer. JWCI also conducts research on biological mechanisms to better understand the cause, diagnosis, control and cure of cancer; trains surgical scientists who study and treat cancer and offers unique experimental treatment services to rapidly develop and test new forms of diagnosis and therapy.“The Adelsons’ gracious gift and long-term involvement to the Institute will ensure its independence, allow the JWCI to recruit new scientists and expand its translational research programs for which JWCI has become world renowned” said Ethan Wayne, a member of the JWCI board and director of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, which provided the seed money to establish the JWCI.Growing up in an immigrant family in Boston, Sheldon Adelson owned his first business at 12. He went on to work as a mortgage broker, investment adviser and financial consultant, and has created and developed more than 50 different companies, including COMDEX, the computer expo. He purchased the Sands Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in 1989.Dr. Miriam Adelson has devoted her career to internal and emergency medicine. In 1986, she developed a unique specialty in the areas of chemical dependency and drug addiction and now heads the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinics in Tel Aviv and Las Vegas. “The extended family of John Wayne is extremely proud of and honored by this awareness and support for our program,” said Patrick Wayne, chairman of the JWCI Board. “We’re extremely confident in the future prospects for the John Wayne Cancer Institute as we move into the 21st century.”“The Adelson gift will go a long way towards furthering our mission. Our physicians, scientists and patients are very grateful,” said Dr. Armando E. Giuliano, Sr. Vice President of JWCI and its Chief of Surgical Oncology.The John Wayne Cancer Institute was founded by the Wayne family in 1981 to engage in cancer research and education in memory of their father who died of cancer.