Nevada Cancer Institute receives $20 million donation

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Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008 | 11:32 a.m.

The Nevada Cancer Institute received a $20 million donation from the Engelstad Family Foundation on Saturday to help fund the cancer research building under construction on the institute's Summerlin campus.

The building will be named the Ralph and Betty Engelstad Cancer Research Building. This is the second major donation from the foundation, the first was given two years ago for $15 million and was for the advancement of scientific research, screening and treatment in the field of lung cancer.

The family foundation was formed in June 2002, months before Ralph Engelstad, owner of the Imperial Palace Hotel and Resort, died of lung cancer in November 2002.

"What makes this so perfect for us and for him is that he was a fighter," said Kris Engelstad McGarry, Ralph Engelstad's daughter, in a press release.

"This is the dream for NVCI, the dream of hope; we're working toward that goal.

Heather Murren, chairman of the board and co-founder of NVCI, said of the gift in a press release: "We are humbled by this second major gift from the Engelstad Family Foundation. This funding will have a direct impact on our ability to discover new treatment options for patients in Nevada and beyond, and to prevent lung cancer and one day to cure it. We are honored with the vision of the Engelstad Family Foundation joining us in our collective effort to reduce the burden of cancer."

The research building will be 183,378 square feet dedicated exclusively to research housing 36 laboratories on three floors for investigators and their teams, as well as a core lab to support clinical research and expand basic and translational research.