Henry Ford Receives $25M Grant to Expand Precision Medicine Program

March 11, 2020 - Henry Ford Health System has received a $25 million grant to accelerate its precision medicine program, with the ultimate goal of creating a Precision Health Center.

With the donation, Henry Ford will focus on advancing cancer research and treatment, as well as precision therapies for behavioral health, cardiovascular conditions, and metabolic diseases.

Henry Ford received the gift from developer Chris Jeffries and his wife Lisa. The donation is the largest single gift from an individual in the health system’s 105-year history.

“We are incredibly grateful to Lisa and Chris Jeffries for their generosity,” said Wright Lassiter, III, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System.

“We are experiencing a momentous era in medicine, a radical shift from the traditional approach to cancer care. This gift will help us consolidate and advance our collective efforts to create unprecedented access to advanced, highly personalized treatments for our patients and members.”

The grant will significantly boost the health system’s translational research efforts, which quickly transforms the most innovative discoveries in the lab into new treatments for patients.

“Translational research is a significant differentiator of our clinical programs at Henry Ford and is a critical element to help us treat many of the most challenging conditions our patients face,” said Adnan Munkarah, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer of Henry Ford Health System.

“Translational research is bench-to-bedside, meaning it allows patients to benefit from discoveries in real time. That is an essential part of our history and commitment to medicine and academics – not only offering the latest innovations in medicine, but also playing a leading role in their development.”

The donation will build on the organization’s past work to advance precision medicine and personalized care. In October 2017, Henry Ford Health System launched the Henry Ford Cancer Institute, a facility focused on ambulatory cancer treatment, precision medicine, clinical trials and research, and enhanced support services for cancer patients.

With the grant, researchers will be able to continue to develop individualized therapies for cancer and other conditions.

“By analyzing genetic and non-genetic factors, we can gain a better understanding of how a disease forms, progresses and can be treated in a specific patient,” said Tom Mikkelsen, MD, medical director of the Precision Medicine Program and Clinical Trials Office at Henry Ford Health System.

“As of now, we can check for more than 500 genomic markers, which helps us understand the pattern of changes in a patient’s tumor cells that influence how cancer grows and spreads. I’m confident this gift will lead to advancements that provide hope for patients with even the most complex diagnoses.”

The Henry Ford Cancer Institute has one unified team of cancer specialists working to deliver personalized cancer treatments. The Institute includes five hospital locations, six additional outpatient cancer centers, and dozens of aligned doctor’s offices.

“Even a decade ago, our approach to treating brain cancer was Precision Medicine before anyone knew what Precision Medicine was,” said Steven Kalkanis, MD, CEO of Henry Ford Medical Group and Henry Ford’s chief academic officer.

“In the time since, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of brain cancer patients who are outliving their prognoses, due in large part to clinical innovation. Our relentless pursuit of clinical breakthroughs has more momentum now than at any other point in history.”

The new grant will only serve to accelerate precision medicine in care delivery.

“The support of our donors is the fuel behind our clinical innovations and the breakthroughs that are improving people’s lives,” said Mary Jane Vogt, senior vice president and chief development officer at Henry Ford Health System. “It is remarkable to work with donors who believe in a better tomorrow and the power of a unified approach to medicine.”

The donation is expected to help drive innovations in treating brain, lung, pancreatic, and colon cancers, as well as other chronic diseases like cystic fibrosis, asthma, and heart disease.

“The team at Henry Ford is second to none,” said Chris Jeffries. “We believe this gift will lead to other families having more time together. Defeating cancer requires a concerted effort from everyone and we hope to make as big an impact on that goal as possible.”