Fox Chase Cancer Center gets gift to create pancreatic cancer research institute

Fox Chase Cancer Center on Tuesday announced that Philadelphia philanthropist Concetta Greenberg has made a multimillion-dollar donation in her late husband's name to establish a pancreatic cancer research institute.

Fox Chase said the gift is the largest in its 113-year history, although did not specify the amount at the donor's request. The new center, the Marvin and Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Insitute, will be co-chaired by Fox Chase pancreatic cancer researchers Igor Astsaturov and Edna Cukierman. Their work aims to find new therapy targets, identify markers for early detection, and understand the impact of diet and environment on pancreatic cancer.

Marvin S. Greenberg, a dermatologist, died in 2005 of pancreatic cancer. In 2008, his wife, who now lives in Lafayette Hill, funded an endowed chair in his name at Fox Chase to support a pancreatic cancer surgery researcher.