Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University is an NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore, MD. It was established in 1973 and received its NCI designation that same year as one of the first designated cancer centers in the country.[1][2]
SKCCC is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of 27 comprehensive cancer centers in the US.
The current director of SKCCC is William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., who has been at JHU since 1992 and specializes in prostate cancer. Past directors have included Albert H. Owens Jr. and Martin Abeloff.
Research
SKCCC is a prolific research institution. Many of the over 100 research laboratories are part of specialized research programs, including the Brain Cancer, Breast & Ovarian Cancer, Cancer Biology, Cancer Chemical & Structural Biology, Cancer Immunology, Cancer Molecular & Functional Imaging, Cancer Prevention & Control, Hematologic Malignancies & Bone Marrow Transplant, Prostate Cancer, and SPORE programs.
The Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy was founded with in 2016 two $50 million gifts from Michael R. Bloomberg and Sidney Kimmel, both of whom have made extensive donations to the university in the past, and an additional $25 million by additional supporters. Drew Pardoll is the founding director.[3]
Faculty
There are many notable faculty at the SKCCC. Among these are winners of the Lasker Award, Nobel Prize, and Wolfe Prize.
- Lasker Award 2006 and Nobel Prize 2009 – Carol Greider, Professor and Director of Molecular Biology and Genetics in the Johns Hopkins Institute for Basic Biomedical Science
- Lasker Award 2016 and Nobel Prize 2019 – Gregg L. Semenza, Professor of Genetic Medicine, Pediatrics, Medicine, Oncology, Radiation Oncology, and Biological Chemistry
- Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences – Bert Vogelstein, Clayton Professor of Oncology and Pathology and director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics
Facilities
SKCCC is spread across several facilities. Research is mainly done in two buildings. The Bunting Blaustein Cancer Research Building opened in 1999 and is a ten-story laboratory building housing the programs for research in cancer biology, hematological malignancies, urological oncology, gastrointestinal cancer, solid tumor research, pharmacology, and experimental therapeutics, and cancer prevention and control. The Koch Cancer Research Building (CRB) opened in 2006 and is connected to the Bunting Blaustein Building and houses the prostate, brain, pancreas, skin, lung, and head and neck cancer research programs.
Patient care is given in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building, a 350,000 sq ft, 9-floor building connected to the main hospital by an enclosed walkway. It has 62 medical beds, 72 surgical beds, and 20 ICU beds.[1] The Cancer Counseling Center is located in the Hackerman-Patz Patient and Family Pavilion and offers information about early detection and prevention, palliative care, and programs for survivors.[2]
The Skip Viragh Outpatient Cancer Building is expected to open in Spring 2018.[4] Named after Albert P. “Skip” Viragh Jr, a mutual fund investor who died of pancreatic cancer in 2003, this new building will provide services to over 180 patients with solid tumor daily and enable the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building to expand its services to leukemia and myeloma.[5]
It is designated as a Magnet hospital.[1] SKCCC was featured in the 2015 Ken Burns documentary Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.
References
- "National Comprehensive Cancer Network". Nccn.org. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
- "Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center". National Cancer Institute.
- "Johns Hopkins launches cancer research center with $125 million from Bloomberg, Kimmel, others". 29 March 2016.
- Hill, Michael. "Facilities: Kimmel Cancer Center".
- Wasta, Vanessa. "Skip Viragh Outpatient Cancer Building: Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center". Retrieved 2017-02-17.