A $1 million gift from longtime supporters Richard S. and Daphna Ziman will further two areas of important cancer research at City of Hope. The gift combines pledges made by the couple when each was honored at separate City of Hope fundraising events.

Richard Ziman, who served as chair of City of Hope’s board of directors from 1989 to 1995, pledged $750,000 when he was recognized by the Los Angeles Real Estate & Construction Industries Council for City of Hope at its 2006 Roast and Toast event. The committed philanthropist, who now serves as chair of American Value Partners Advisors LLC, received both City of Hope’s Spirit of Life® Award and the President’s Award at the gala.

His gift will help fund construction of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Cancer Immunotherapeutics and Tumor Immunology.

A $250,000 gift pledged by Daphna Ziman in 2006, when the Sportmen’s Club honored her with The Spirit of Life® Award, will support the work of Karen Aboody, M.D., assistant professor in the divisions of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Neurosciences. Aboody focuses on neural stem cells and their therapeutic applications for cancerous tumors.

In recognition of the Zimans’ gifts, the laboratory of Hua Yu, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Cancer Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology, will be named in their honor. The laboratory will be located on the third floor of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center.

The Zimans have made a number of generous contributions to the institution throughout the years, including endowing the Ziman Family Outpatient Oncology Center.