Director's Letter

By: William Nelson
Date: March 1, 2011

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center Director, William Nelson, M.D., Ph.D.

We have told you about genetic and epigenetic discoveries that have revealed the specific alterations cells undergo to initiate and sustain cancers.  We have promised that these discoveries would result in better therapies, specifically tailored to the unique characteristics of each patient’s tumor. Today, I can tell you that we are realizing this promise of personalized cancer medicine and beginning to alter the course of cancer in ways we could only imagine a few decades ago.

We have led the world in deciphering the cellular causes of cancer, and now we will lead the world in applying these discoveries to the care of cancer patients.

William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D.
Marion I. Knott Professor and Director
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins