University Hospitals’ Seidman Cancer Center has received a $3.5 million gift to support efforts to triple capacity for clinical trials within the next five years.
The gift comes from Kathy Coleman, who has donated more than $14 million to the Cleveland-based health system in honor of her late husband, Lester Coleman Jr., who died after battling an aggressive form of lung cancer. Ms. Coleman is also a member of the cancer center’s leadership council.
“UH Seidman Cancer Center ushered in a new era of cancer care at UH when it opened in 2011, and the Kathy and Les Coleman Clinical Trials Center has been integral to that,” Theodoros Teknos, MD, president and scientific director of the cancer center, said in a Sept. 5 news release.
“Currently, we offer more than 400 clinical trials annually and it helps thousands of patients,” Dr. Teknos said. “With Kathy’s support, we will triple our capacity by 2030, bringing potentially life-extending treatments to more patients than ever.”
The gift will support work to expand and centralize clinical trial services. When renovations are complete, the 16,000-square-foot clinical trial center will be relocated to UH’s main campus.
The cancer center is one of seven nationwide with direct access to a pipeline of experimental cancer drugs through the National Cancer Institute. It also manufactures CAR-T cells on site — a capability held by just 11 academic centers across the country. The investment will also support UH’s efforts to build a dedicated phase 1 clinical trials program focused on advancing new immunotherapies.
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