UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center received a $1 million grant to create a fellowship for melanoma research.
The V Foundation-Gil Nickel Fellowship will support research projects concerning melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
The fellowship was endowed by the family of Napa Valley Winery owner Gil Nickel, who died of melanoma in 2003, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which was created in 1993 by sports commentator Jim Valvano.
Nickel, who made annual donations to the Jonsson Cancer Center before his death, received cancer treatment at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica.
A committee created by the fellowship will select and train a post-doctoral scientist to conduct melanoma research projects for two or three years, said Dr. Antoni Ribas, a professor of hematology/oncology at UCLA who will mentor the selected fellow.
Ribas said the program’s research will focus on using the body’s immune system and image technology to fight melanoma.
“The goal is to marry the promise of targeted therapies and immunotherapies to treat advanced melanoma without the harmful side effects of conventional treatments such as chemotherapy,” said Dr. Judith C. Gasson, director of the cancer center, in a press release Monday.
Nickel’s widow, Beth Nickel, said UCLA was chosen to receive the donation because the Jonsson Cancer Center proposed using young researchers in innovative projects.
“They have what we thought was the most prudent course of action,” she said.
Beth Nickel added that much of the money donated for the fellowship was raised from donations by Gil Nickel’s friends and business associates.
The endowment will help fund the salaries and research expenses of fellows for years to come, Ribas said.
He added that selected fellows will likely have M.D.s, Ph.D.s or both and should have previous fellowship experience.
Ribas said the fellowship is only a training program and fellows are not guaranteed employment with the university beyond completion of the program.
Melanoma is the most aggressive and deadliest form of skin cancer and currently has few successful treatment options, Ribas said, adding that traditional chemotherapy has not been shown to be effective against the cancer and most patients respond only to surgery.
Ribas said there has been an influx in research information on melanoma in recent years and he expects breakthroughs in treatment to be made soon.
The Jonsson Cancer Center consists of over 230 physicians and scientists engaged in cancer research and treatment, according to the center’s Web site.
It has been named the best cancer center in California by U.S. News & World Report for seven consecutive years.