SEATTLE — The family of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is donating $20 million to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
The Seattle cancer center says the money will be used to support development of novel cancer immunotherapies. The work involves using genetically modified human T cells to treat cancer.
The center says the gift is the largest single contribution in its history.
Mike Bezos says the family has been impressed by results for patients with leukemia and lymphoma and wants to help scientists apply their work to other kinds of cancer. The research will focus on solid-tumor cancers, including those of the lung, ovaries, pancreas and colon.
The center’s director, Larry Corey, says the donation comes at a pivotal time, when scientists are getting indications that immunotherapy will be effective for a broader range of cancers.
