The Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) has announced a record $69 million gift to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and its Jimmy Fund in support of adult and pediatric cancer research, clinical trials, and treatment.

Founded in 1980, PMC is an annual bike-a-thon event presented by the Red Sox Foundation and M&T Bank. A majority of the funding raised through the event is unrestricted, and this year’s gift represents the largest single donation Dana-Farber has ever received, boosting PMC’s total contributions to $900 million.

In recent years, PMC funding has supported Dana-Farber researchers in leading clinical trials that resulted in the first CAR T-cell therapies approved by the FDA for indolent follicular lymphoma and multiple myeloma, a major milestone for patients with those cancers. This year, the event attracted more than 6,400 riders from 43 states and eight countries to cycle up to 211 miles across Massachusetts.

“I am continually in awe of the PMC community’s unwavering commitment to defy cancer with their generosity,” said Dana-Farber Cancer Institute president and CEO Laurie H. Glimcher. “I am proud to be a part of this dedicated community as a seven-year rider myself. The PMC’s impact is extraordinary and fully supports our efforts to forge scientific breakthroughs that translate into new, promising therapies for patients and families around the world.”

(Photo credit: Pan-Mass Challenge/13 Photography)