PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Health & Science University says it has formed a cancer care and research plan that includes a recruiting drive and a commercial DNA testing lab.
The Oregonian reports the plan also includes the expansion of the university’s cancer tissue bank into a unique and potentially profitable resource for researchers and drug companies.
The plan was announced Friday, about two years after OHSU received a $100 million gift from Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, to support cancer research.
OHSU officials say the main goal of the effort is to use DNA testing to choose treatments that target an individual tumor’s weaknesses, rather than blasting them with toxic chemotherapy or radiation.
