The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has announced a $5 million commitment from Jeffrey McDougall and his family in support of the Andrew M. McDougall Brain Metastasis Clinic and Research Program.

The commitment, to be matched through institutional philanthropic efforts, will help the program develop novel therapies for patients with brain metastases by investing in basic science and enabling investigators to identify next-generation targets and treatments, as well as develop preclinical strategies to prioritize novel compounds and combinations for clinical testing.

Established in 2019, the clinic is named for McDougall’s son, Andrew, who was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma in 2018 and subsequently developed brain metastases. He succumbed to the disease in March 2021. According to the hospital, approximately 300,000 patients with cancer per year will experience metastases to the central nervous system, including the brain. Up to 30 percent of patients with metastatic solid tumors are expected to develop brain metastases, leading those patients to be excluded from almost all clinical trials for novel systemic therapies.

“Andrew was a wonderful husband, dad, and son. When he passed, I debated whether it was time to move forward and try to start the healing process,” said McDougall, president and owner of JMA Energy Company. “For Andrew’s sake and for the sake of future brain metastases patients and their families, I didn’t want cancer to win. And I didn’t want other people to go through what we went through with Andrew.”

“Andrew’s courageous three-year journey with melanoma and brain metastases deeply influenced our collective aims for the vision of the clinic, particularly emphasizing the need to equip our multidisciplinary team with more effective approaches to cure these patients,” said Michael Davies, chair of the hospital’s Melanoma Medical Oncology department and Andrew McDougall’s physician. “Our team remains inspired by Andrew’s strength and never-failing perseverance throughout the most difficult moments of this terrible disease. We will continue to push for progress for patients like Andrew as we work toward Making Cancer History for patients with brain metastases.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/gorodenkoff)