At a time of significant budget constraints for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Trump administration, Phil Knight and Penny Knight, co-founder and wife of the co-founder of the renowned sportswear brand Nike, last week made a landmark US$2 billion donation to the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute. The donation, which marks the largest single gift ever made to a university in the United States, stems from their profound support for the revolutionary vision of Dr. Brian J. Druker—a 2018 Tang Prize Laureate in Biopharmaceutical Science and the longtime leader of the institute—for cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, patient care, and a future where cancer is eradicated.
The scale of this donation, coupled with the commitment to realize Dr. Druker’s vision of combining past scientific discoveries with an unparalleled patient care experience, will transform the Knight Cancer Institute into an autonomous entity within OHSU. Dr. Druker, who had announced his resignation in December 2024 due to a philosophical disagreement, will return to serve as the inaugural Chairman of the Knight Cancer Group. In a recent media interview, Dr. Druker stated, "It can seem impossible to navigate the health care system after being diagnosed with cancer. We’re going to change that. We have revolutionized the way we detect and treat cancer. Now we are going to transform the way we care for patients while continuing to develop innovative treatments."
Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, CEO of the Tang Prize Foundation, noted that Dr. Druker's successful application of Gleevec in treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) pioneered targeted therapy, extending patient survival from less than five years to a normal life expectancy. "We are delighted that this generous donation will enable our Tang Prize Laureate to significantly transform today's healthcare system, bringing hope of a cure to all cancer patients," said Dr. Chern. He also recalled Dr. Druker's meaningful gift to the Tang Prize Foundation in 2018 - a pair of Nike shoes with Phil Knight's personal signature, given to Dr. Druker by the Knights, who have long supported the Knight Cancer Institute. The gift was meant to encourage Dr. Druker, an avid runner, to persevere in his mission to end cancer. Dr. Druker, in turn, graciously regifted the meaningful shoes to the Tang Prize Foundation for its collection.
Professor Druker, along with two other scientists—Tony Hunter and John Mendelsohn—was awarded the 2018 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science in recognition of their discoveries of protein tyrosine phosphorylation and tyrosine kinases as oncogenes, leading to successful targeted cancer therapies. For more about the three laureates, please watch the documentary "The Dawn of Targeted Cancer Therapy- Tony Hunter, Brian J. Druker, John Mendelsohn" on the Tang Prize YouTube channel.
About the Tang Prize
Since the advent of globalization, mankind has been able to enjoy the convenience brought forth by the advancement of human civilization and science. Yet a multitude of challenges, such as climate change, the emergence of new infectious diseases, wealth gap, and moral degradation, have surfaced along the way. Against this backdrop, Dr. Samuel Yin established the Tang Prize in December 2012. It consists of four award categories, namely Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. Every other year, four independent and professional selection committees, comprising many internationally renowned experts, scholars, and Nobel winners, choose Tang Prize winners from a pool of nominees who have influenced and made substantive contributions to the world, regardless of ethnicity, nationality or gender. A cash prize of NT$50 million (approx. US$1.7 million) is allocated to each category, with NT$10 million (approx. US$ 0.35 million) of it being a research grant intended to encourage professionals in every field to examine mankind’s most urgent needs in the 21st century, and become leading forces in the development of human society through their outstanding research outcomes and active civic engagement.
