Ludwig Cancer Research

Last updated
Ludwig Cancer Research
Founded1971
Founder Daniel K. Ludwig
Focus Cancer Research
Headquarters New York, NY, USA;
Zürich, Switzerland
Area served
International
Key people
Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD
(CEO and Scientific Director); Jonathan Skipper, PhD (President)
Website www.ludwigcancerresearch.org

Ludwig Cancer Research is an international network of research institutes and laboratories that conduct basic, translational, and clinical studies on cancer. It encompasses the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR), an international non-profit organization founded in 1971 by American businessman and philanthropist Daniel K. Ludwig, and six endowed and independent Ludwig Centers that were established in 2006 at prominent U.S. institutions of biomedical research. [1] [2]

Contents

Ludwig Cancer Research has funded basic and translational cancer research through LICR—which financially supports and oversees Branches and laboratories at leading academic institutions in Europe and the U.S.—and through the six U.S.-based Ludwig Centers.

Overview

Ludwig Cancer Research supports fundamental and translational cancer research, focusing on cancer immunology, genomics, cancer metabolism, metastasis, epigenetics and the tumor microenvironment, with an emphasis on applying this research to the development of novel diagnostics and therapies. It encompasses three research Branches overseen by LICR, which has its own endowment, and six separately endowed and independent Ludwig Centers at U.S. institutions. [1] [2] Its global structure seeks to foster collaboration across this network to advance the understanding of cancer biology and the application of that knowledge to its prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

History

Daniel K. Ludwig, a shipping and real estate magnate, founded LICR in 1971 with an initial endowment of foreign assets from his business holdings. [3] [4]

Between 1971 and 1974, Ludwig transferred his international assets to the Institute, a gift then valued at more than US$560 million (equivalent to about US$3.6 billion in 2025). This created what was for decades the world’s largest philanthropic entity dedicated to cancer research. LICR operated a global conglomerate, including a major oil shipping business, whose profits funded its worldwide Branches until 1992, when it sold its assets and invested the proceeds in financial markets.

Following Ludwig’s death in 1992, his remaining assets established the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research. The Fund initially supported endowed professorships and chairs of clinical investigation with assets of US$69 million. [4] In 2006, the Fund donated US$330 million to establish six Ludwig Centers at leading U.S. academic institutions. [5] In 2014, the Fund distributed an additional US$540 million to the Centers and was subsequently dissolved. [2]

Notable achievements

Ludwig Cancer Research and its scientists have contributed to cancer biology and treatment. [4] Highlights include:

Branches and centers

Branches

Since its founding, the Ludwig Institute has supported laboratory groups located at major universities and hospitals worldwide. These Branches serve as hubs of research and collaboration. As of 2025, the following Branches are active: [11]

Previously, the Institute also operated branches in London, Brussels, Sydney, São Paulo, San Diego, and other locations. [4]

Laboratories

LICR also supports two laboratories in Brussels (affiliated with the Oxford Branch), a Ludwig Collaborative Laboratory at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, and the Scientific Director’s laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. [11]

Centers

In 2006, the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research endowed six Ludwig Centers: [5]

In 2014, the Fund distributed an additional US$540 million to the Centers and was dissolved. [2]

Leadership

Chi Van Dang has been CEO of LICR since July 2024 [1] and has also been the Institute's Scientific Director since 2016. [12] The president is Jonathan Skipper, and the chairman of the board is Edward McDermott Jr., former President and CEO of LICR. [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "About us". Ludwig Cancer Research. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kolata, Gina (20 January 2014). "A Billionaire's Last Wishes: A Legacy for Cancer Research". The New York Times.
  3. "Daniel K. Ludwig, 95, Builder of Shipping and Real Estate Empires, Dies". The New York Times. 28 August 1992.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kher, Unmesh (2024). A Vision Realized: The Story of Ludwig Cancer Research (PDF) (First edition, second printing ed.). Ludwig Cancer Research. ISBN   9798218501167 . Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 Kolata, Gina (21 January 2014). "Billionaire's Bequest Will Fund Cancer Research". The New York Times.
  6. Rosenberg, Steven A. (2014). "Decade in Review—cancer immunotherapy: entering the mainstream of cancer treatment". Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology. 11: 630–632.
  7. Melief, Cornelis J. M. (2015). "Therapeutic cancer vaccines". Journal of Clinical Investigation. 125 (9): 3401–3412.
  8. "Epidemiological studies on HPV and cervical cancer". Ludwig Cancer Research. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  9. "Research on GM-CSF and immunotherapy". Ludwig Cancer Research. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  10. Sharma, Padmanee; Allison, James P. (2015). "Immune checkpoint targeting in cancer therapy: toward combination strategies with curative potential". Cell. 161 (2): 205–214.
  11. 1 2 "Where We Work". Ludwig Cancer Research. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  12. "Chi Van Dang appointed Scientific Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research". Ludwig Cancer Research. Retrieved 25 August 2025.