Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, has announced a $25 million gift from Pablo Legorreta and his wife, Almudena, in support of the university’s cancer center.

Established in 2020, the newly named Legorreta Cancer Center will build on the strengths of the Joint Program in Cancer Biology at Brown and Lifespan. To that end, the gift will support efforts to recruit physician-scientists, investigators, and other experts; launch pilot research projects; and work toward gaining designation by the National Cancer Institute, which recognizes centers across the nation that meet rigorous standards for state-of-the-art research focused on developing new approaches to preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer. Researchers at the Legorreta Center are working to better understand how geographical, racial, socioeconomic, genetic, and other factors affect cancer prevalence in Rhode Island.

Longtime supporters of medical education, the Legorreta family previously awarded $5 million in support of the Brown Biomedical Innovations to Impact fund, which is dedicated to advancing the commercial potential of promising academic biomedical technologies. The couple’s son, Pablo, graduated from the university earlier this year.

“The best way to solve a very complex problem like cancer is to bring together talented scientists and researchers with different backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise — people who truly have an interest in collaborating,” said Pablo Legorreta, the founder and CEO of Royalty Pharma and a trustee of the Corporation of Brown University. “The Legorreta Cancer Center brings together people from Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School, School of Public Health, affiliated hospitals and more, creating a shared mission. That’s one of the reasons my wife, son and I are so excited to support the center and help it grow and expand.”

“In providing the funding to bring aboard first-class talent and launch promising new research programs, this gift brings us closer to realizing the dream of a world-class, federally recognized cancer center right here in the state of Rhode Island,” said Brown University president Christina H. Paxson. “We are deeply grateful to Pablo and Almudena Legorreta for their generous investment in the potential for cancer research at Brown to transform into treatments that will one day make a positive impact on patients and their families.”

(Photo credit: Brown University, used with permission)