A new cancer research hub, funded by Sandy Weill’s $50 million donation, aims to explore the benefits of GLP-1 agonists in treating cancer. The partnership between four institutions will focus on increasing the effectiveness of immunotherapy through advanced research techniques.
A new hub funded by financier Sandy Weill will explore how GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic could benefit cancer treatment.
Sandy Weill, the former CEO of Citigroup, has donated $50 million to unite four institutions in a bid to bolster cancer research. The funding will support the establishment of the Weill Cancer Hub East, a partnership between Princeton University, the Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medicine, and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
The hub aims to increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy in treating cancer by bringing together the best minds in the field with advanced research techniques. Immunotherapy utilizes a patient’s own immune system to attack the disease, and the hub will focus on understanding how nutrition and metabolism impact this form of cancer care.
In addition to Weill‘s $50 million donation, the initiative will receive over $125 million from its partner institutions. The funding will support a deep investigation into how diet, metabolism, and microbiome can affect cancer immunotherapy. Richard Lifton, president of the Rockefeller University, stated that ‘the funding for this collaboration allows for a deep, mechanistic investigation into how one’s diet, metabolism and microbiome can affect cancer immunotherapy.‘
This donation is not an isolated incident for Weill and his wife Joan, who have gifted a total of $1 billion to nonprofits around the globe. In 2016, they donated $185 million to establish a neuroscience research institute at the University of California at San Francisco, and in 2020, they helped start the Weill Neurohub, an initiative involving researchers in neurological and psychiatric diseases.
Weill‘s approach to philanthropy is reminiscent of his time on Wall Street, where he famously helped form Citigroup in 1998 through a merger between Travelers Group and Citicorp. ‘I’m doing the same thing I did in the financial business,” Weill said in an interview, “doing mergers and putting people together that are likeminded.‘
Sandy Weill is a renowned American banker and investor.
Born on August 16, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, he rose to prominence as the CEO of Travelers Group and later Citigroup.
Weill's career spans over five decades, marked by significant mergers and acquisitions, including the $38 billion merger between Travelers and Citibank.
He is known for his innovative approach to banking and has received numerous awards for his contributions to the industry.
