In science and medicine, transformative change emerges when people change not only what we know but how we think. Dr. Sidney Farber, namesake of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is one of those people. Through the 1940s, childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was almost universally fatal. Like many cancers at that time, little was understood about the mechanisms driving the disease, so only basic forms of treatment were available, leading to dismal survival rates. Refusing to buy into nihilistic views of efforts to cure cancer, in 1947 Dr. Farber devoted himself to researching and treating childhood leukemia. His discovery that folic acid plays a key role in the proliferation of cancer cells in leukemias prompted him to trial folate antagonists to treat childhood leukemia. In 1948, he published a landmark clinical trial that demonstrated for the first time that induction of clinical and hematological remission in ALL was achievable. In doing so, Dr. Farber became recognized as the father of modern chemotherapy. Moreover, his discoveries led to lifesaving treatments such that the 5-year survival rate for childhood ALL has increased from virtually 0% (with a median survival of 3.8 months) to over 90% over the last decade. It is one of the greatest success stories in science and medicine. ​ https://www.dana-farber.org/about/history Standing on Dr. Farber’s shoulders and those of many other giants throughout the 75-year history of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the state of cancer research continues to progress rapidly as knowledge and technology advance together. With a mission to provide expert, personalized care to patients while advancing the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of cancer and related diseases, along with a commitment to training new generations of clinicians and scientists, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute remains at the forefront of the global fight against cancer. Today, Dana-Farber continues the fight with more than 5,000 staff, faculty, and clinicians supporting more than 640,000 patient visits. Clinical trials remain the engine that brings scientific discoveries to treatments, and the Institute has more than 1,100 open trials. The equal commitment to cutting edge research and excellent patient care is a key reason why Dana-Farber is so involved in developing, testing, and gaining FDA approval for new cancer therapies. Astonishingly, through this position, Dana-Farber has played a foundational role in more than half the cancer drugs approved by the FDA since 2018. Click here to read more about recent therapies in which Dana-Farber played a substantive role, plus the discoveries that made them possible. Funding is absolutely essential to the work done at Dana-Farber. Recognizing this, Dr. Farber established the Jimmy Fund, a foundation named after a patient and dedicated to pediatric research in childhood cancers. A critical component of its funding comes from the PMC, which contributes more than 60% of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue that directly supports Dana-Farber’s research and patient care. This partnership underscores the importance of community-driven efforts in fueling the continuous innovation needed to make strides against cancer.