Stony Brook, New York, May 21, 2021 — In support of its fight against cancer, the Stony Brook University Cancer Center has received funding secured in the NY state budget to help the Cancer Center on its journey to attaining National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Center status. Overall, in the past four budgets, Assemblyman Steve Englebright has secured more than $2.6 million to the Cancer Center for funding major research activities, especially the development of cutting edge clinical trials, during a multi-year application process to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
While 71 NCI-designated Cancer Centers now exist throughout the country, the closest NCI facility to Long Island residents is based in New York City – a burden for the tens of thousands of people on Long Island who are diagnosed with cancer each year, and for their families and loved ones. NCI designation would enable Stony Brook Medicine to hire additional researchers and clinical investigators to work in its research laboratories, spurring even more funding for breakthrough discoveries.
“With a population greater than 21 other states, Long Island needs convenient access to top-level research and clinical care rather than having its most vulnerable cancer patients travel prohibitive distances for treatment,” said Dr. Yusuf Hannun, Stony Brook University Cancer Center Director. “The Stony Brook Cancer Center has developed outstanding research programs that build on several areas of exceptional strength at Stony Brook University. Receiving an NCI Cancer Center designation will enhance accessibility for Long Island residents and support economic activity in the region through nearly $50 million in available federal research funds. We are grateful to Assemblyman Englebright’s funding of the future of cancer care and research at the Stony Brook Cancer Center.”
“I thank Assemblyman Englebright for recognizing the important work that we do at the Stony Brook Cancer Center in providing vital research, support and hope to thousands of families,” said Dr. Margaret M. McGovern, Vice President for Health System Clinical Programs and Strategy at Stony Brook Medicine. “His support has helped us to offer the most advanced cancer care, especially for complex cancer problems, which reinforces our dedication to clinical, research and educational excellence.”
“NCI-Designated Cancer Centers deliver cutting-edge cancer treatments to patients and I am delighted to support Stony Brook Cancer Center’s efforts to bring this level of care to Long Island residents,” says Assemblyman Englebright.
Stony Brook Cancer Center also assembled an external advisory board (EAB) of clinical and research cancer experts, including the Director of the NCI-designated Roswell Park Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY. An EAB review of Stony Brook’s readiness for designation notes that Stony Brook, out of the other institutions seeking such designation, “has one of the strongest research bases and can demonstrably illustrate that it is making enormous contributions to the oncology field.”
The NIH will take great interest in the critical facilities Stony Brook University has dedicated to cancer-focused research including:
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The Medical and Research Translation (MART) building: A 240,000-square-foot facility devoted to both basic and translational cancer research, biomedical informatics and the highest quality clinical care.
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Institute for Discovery and Innovation in Medicine and Engineering (I-DIME): The $75 million, 70,000 square-foot facility, currently in the design phase, will be a center where cutting-edge academic research and data analytic support comes together with private sector ingenuity to solve some of the most challenging problems of today and tomorrow. The Schools of Medicine and Engineering will staff the I-DIME building, based on the concept of engineer-driven medicine, which at Stony Brook will focus heavily on cancer medicine.
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Brookhaven National laboratory (BNL): as co-manager of BNL, Stony Brook University has 110 joint appointments with the Lab allowing researchers and others to access the most advanced scientific and imaging technologies including the National Synchrotron Light Source II – a $960 million x-ray facility with the nanoscale resolution needed to foster new discoveries and breakthroughs in critical areas including cancer research.
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More than 30 new faculty members of the Stony Brook Cancer Center: a major recruitment effort at Stony Brook Medicine over the past six years has yielded a large number of new faculty members devoted to cancer care and biology, which has helped improve the efforts of many existing departments.
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Nearly $25M in annual external funding for cancer research: obtained almost entirely from the NCI, other NIH institutes, and the National Science Foundation. These grants support cutting- edge research designed to find a cure for various cancers that affect Long Islanders, New Yorkers, and the entire population.
To learn more about the Stony Brook University Cancer Center, visit cancer.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
For information about the Cancer Research Program, visit
https://cancer.stonybrookmedicine.edu/CancerResearch
About Stony Brook University Cancer Center:
Stony Brook University Cancer Center is Suffolk County’s cancer care leader and a leader in education and research. With more than 20,000 inpatient and 70,000 outpatient visits annually, the Cancer Center includes 12 multidisciplinary teams: Breast Cancer; Colorectal Cancer; Gastrointestinal Cancer; Genitourinary Cancer; Gynecologic Cancer; Head and Neck Cancer, and Thyroid Cancer; Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplant; Lung Cancer; Melanoma and Soft Tissue Sarcomas; Neurologic Oncology; Orthopedic Oncology; and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. The cancer program is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. To learn more, visit www.cancer.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
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