Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have made a generous financial gift to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in support of clinical trials for new and better therapies for breast cancer.
The Oscar-winning and Grammy-winning international cinema and music superstars have been longtime cancer research supporters. The couple’s advocacy and philanthropy for this cause are rooted in Kidman’s experience as a teenager when she cared for her mother, a breast cancer survivor.
“My experience of watching a parent or another loved one battle cancer is something that far too many people have had to endure,” Kidman said. “I am fortunate to have had my mother with me all these years since. Keith and I are making this gift in the hope that more people will have more years to enjoy life with the people they love. We realize that clinical trials can have a global impact when knowledge about treatment advancements is shared.”
A National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram is renowned for its expertise in breast cancer. It is one of only six cancer centers in the country receiving the prestigious Specialized Programs of Research Excellence funding from the National Cancer Institute. Research from the laboratory of Vanderbilt-Ingram’s former director, Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, has led to vast improvements in the understanding of triple-negative breast cancer. The current director, Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, the Benjamin F. Byrd Jr. Professor of Oncology, is also a leader in the breast cancer field and pioneered liquid biopsies for cancer evaluation and treatment.
“We are grateful for the support that Ms. Kidman and Mr. Urban have given to our breast cancer research program. Their actions help us in our mission to lessen the burden of this disease,” said Pietenpol, holder of the Brock Family Directorship in Career Development, and Chief Scientific and Strategy Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Park and Vandana Abramson, MD, Donna S. Hall Professor of Medicine and co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram, are currently leading a multi-center national clinical trial to evaluate changes in circulating tumor DNA levels to help guide therapy in metastatic breast cancer. Abramson and Pietenpol have just completed a national study evaluating immunotherapy in breast cancer. The gift from Kidman and Urban will help support clinical trials stemming from this research.
