Maryland investing $67 million in cancer projects, research
(The Center Square) – The state of Maryland is doing its part to defeat cancer, Gov. Larry Hogan announced.
The governor says the groundbreaking of a first comprehensive cancer treatment center in Prince George’s County is part of the new Maryland Cancer Moonshot Initiative, which aims to broaden and make progress in cancer detection, prevention, and treatment.
The state is committing $67 million to the center, which will be located at the University of Maryland’s Capital Region Medical Center in Largo.
“This is very near and dear to my heart, because I know just how difficult it is to get that life-altering diagnosis and to experience that feeling of not knowing what comes next,” Hogan said in a release. “With the completion of this new cancer center, the neighborhoods where I grew up and spent much of my life – Landover, Capitol Heights, Largo, Upper Marlboro, and all of Prince George’s County – will be able to receive the high-quality cancer treatment and medical care that they deserve right here, where they will have access to some of the best doctors, nurses, and health-care professionals in the world.”
According to the release, the facility is anticipated to open in 2024. The center is designed to offer cancer care services for breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers, and will offer more access to screenings and widen life-saving clinical trials.
“Taking a multidisciplinary approach to address incidence of cancer is key and UM Capital will have a significant impact on the community – creating a one-stop destination to provide coordinated care with expertise and compassion,” Dr. Mohan Suntha, president and chief executive officer of the University of Maryland Medical System, said in the release. “We will build on the success we have seen at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore City, as well as other parts of Maryland, where UMMS hospitals are front and center in providing the highest quality care through the UM Cancer Network.”
The moonshot initiative, according to the release, will provide funding for five other entities. The Greenebaum Cancer Center will be awarded $100 million to expand the center in downtown Baltimore to provide state-of-the-art services for patients. The University of Maryland School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University will see $25 million for cancer research.
The Pediatric Cancer Research, according to the release, will get $1 million earmarked to expand research, and $20.5 million will be used for the Stem Cell Research Fund for its regenerative medicine projects to provide groundbreaking cancer treatments.
The Maryland Tech Council will use $2.5 million for the BioHub Maryland Initiative. The funding will aid expansion of life sciences and the biotechnology workforce in the state.
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