On September 22, 2022 The University of Pennsylvania reported that it has received a $55 million gift for the study and treatment of hereditary cancers. The gift, from Penn alumni Mindy and Jon Gray, will be used to establish the Basser Cancer Interception Institute, at the Basser Center for BRCA , part of Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center (Press release, The Gray Foundation, SEP 22, 2022, View Source [SID1234621360]).

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The goal of the Institute is to move up the timeline of cancer treatment, "intercepting" various forms of the disease when abnormal BRCA1/2 cells develop — rather than relying on standard treatments like surgery, radiation or chemotherapy after a cancer has been detected. In its announcement, the university said, "the Basser team will pioneer efforts ranging from drugs and immune-based approaches to intercept BRCA-related cancers to new methods of detecting cancer cells with biomarkers and artificial intelligence."

According to the National Cancer Institute, BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumor suppressor genes that play a role in controlling or preventing cancer. An error or mutation in a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene increases an individual’s cancer risks. The mutation can also be inherited by an individual’s children who then face increased cancer risks in adulthood.