"Cancer research in Indiana would have been pretty sleepy had the Walther Cancer Foundation not existed to enable it to achieve national prominence." ~ Marietta Harrison, Director, Purdue University Oncological Sciences Center

"Without the support of the Walther Cancer Foundation, it is unlikely that the IU Simon Cancer Center would exist in its present form." ~ Patrick Loehrer, Director, IU Simon Cancer Center

"The faculty recruitment programs funded by Walther have been the central piece of building cancer research at Notre Dame." ~ Thomas Burish, Provost, University of Notre Dame

"Following unconventional lines of research requires support from unconventional sponsors. [Walther’s] willingness to sponsor visionary 'out-of-the-box' research has been unparalleled." ~ Don Bergstrom, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Purdue University

"Sustaining great research requires consistent funding. Institutions like the Walther Cancer Foundation have played important roles in supporting high-impact research. Great discoveries today will mean new treatment for cancer tomorrow." ~ Jack Dixon, Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Two Decades of Cancer Impact

Who We Are

Dr. Joseph E. Walther's bold vision of medical philanthropy was born in 1985 with the creation of the Walther Cancer Institute. He realized that insights into this family of diseases go beyond initiatives that seek to unlock the fundamental secrets of the transfigured cells that give rise to cancer. Thus, in addition to investing in basic research, the WCI actively supported research programs that tested new therapies and focused on human behaviors as well as ways patients and their families respond to a diagnosis of cancer.

A Letter from the President

So often in the search for new knowledge about cancer, it seems to be “on the boundary” where new discoveries are made, new possibilities unearthed, new partnerships formed, and innovative changes in cancer care can be implemented. Consequently, it is easy to conclude that it is “on the boundary” where a small foundation like the Walther Cancer Foundation belongs. It is this particular space on the broad cancer research continuum where the Foundation can apply its resources and best succeed in its now 23 year old mission to eliminate cancer as a source of suffering and death.

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Two Decades of Cancer Impact

“Walther Funds allowed me to pursue innovative projects which would not have been funded by the National Institutes of Health. Walther funding allowed us to discover the function of PTEN, an important … tumor suppressor. This discovery had a major impact on cancer biology and now, many cancer centers across the country are screening for loss of the PTEN tumor suppressor in brain tumors, prostate cancer and other malignancies. In addition, several pharmaceutical firms and biotech companies are developing inhibitors that will aid cancer patients who have lost this tumor suppressor gene.”

~Jack Dixon, Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

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Who We Are

A Letter from the President

Two Decades of Cancer Impact

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