LOS ANGELES, August 11, 2008 – A $1 million gift from Tony Markel, vice chairman, the Markel Corporation, and his daughters, Diana and Melinda, have established the Markel/Friedman Peritoneal Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at City of Hope in memory of his late wife, Susan. The gift, which was augmented by nearly $250,000 in personal donations made in Susan’s memory, will support multiple research programs dedicated to the early detection and improved treatments of this disease. Markel lost his wife, Susan, to peritoneal cancer in January 2008. The fund also recognizes Michael A. Friedman, M.D., City of Hope president and chief executive officer, for the support he provided to the Markel family during Susan’s treatment.
“Each year, peritoneal and ovarian cancers affect an estimated 175,000 women and their families,” said Markel. “There is a tremendous need for research to help improve treatments and outcomes for women facing these diseases. The Markel/Friedman Peritoneal Ovarian Cancer Research Fund will promote research collaboration and help City of Hope uncover new treatments and screening methods that can help save lives.”
Initially, the Markel/Friedman Peritoneal Ovarian Cancer Research Fund will support a two-year study led by City of Hope investigators Robert J. Morgan Jr., M.D., co-director, Gynecologic Oncology/Peritoneal Malignancy Program, and Mark Wakabayashi, M.D., M.P.H., director, Department of Gynecologic Oncology. The study will focus on the use of chemotherapy to treat advanced ovarian and peritoneal carcinoma in patients who may not benefit from platinum-based therapies, a standard treatment that kills cells by damaging their DNA and can have severe side effects. A second, preclinical study led by Richard Jove, Ph.D., director, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, will be aimed at the discovery and development of new drugs for ovarian cancer. A third, two-year study will examine the genetic roots of ovarian cancer, identifying specific genes associated with the cancer’s growth and assessing the effectiveness of treatments to mitigate the cancer risk of those genetic defects. The third study will be led by Je
ffrey N. Weitzel, M.D., director of the Department of Clinical Cancer Genetics and the Cancer Screening & Prevention Program.
“City of Hope’s physicians and scientists are committed to finding better treatments for ovarian and other forms of cancer, and better understanding its development,” said Friedman. “This generous grant will help us continue our mission to bring discoveries quickly to patients for whom time is precious. We are truly grateful to Tony Markel and his family for their dedication to City of Hope.”
Markel has been involved with City of Hope through the National Insurance Industry Council fundraising group, and was presented with its Spirit of Life® Award in 2006 in recognition of his philanthropic efforts within his industry and community.
As a member of the third generation of Markels in the Markel Corporation, he, along with his cousins Alan Kirshner and Steve Markel, and brother Gary Markel, took over management of the firm in the early 1970s.
They successfully converted the MGA operation into a full fledged insurance company that they took public in 1986. Through a series of acquisitions and “start ups” over the last 20 years, Markel Corporation is now one of the 50 largest property and casualty insurance companies in the United States, with over 1,900 employees in six countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Sweden, Singapore), a NYSE exchange market cap of $3.7 billion, and an enviable compounded annual growth in book value since going public in 1986 of 22 percent.
Markel has been involved in numerous philanthropic efforts through the Anthony F. and Susan M. Markel Foundation, most notably benefiting the Milton L. Markel Alzheimer’s Research Fund, the Cullather Brain Cancer Fund, the University of Virginia Athletic Foundation, the YMCA and the Richmond Metro Boys and Girls Club.