> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Donor shows true grit with $5M gift to John Wayne
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/donor-shows-true-grit-with-5m-gift-to-john-wayne/
- Published: 2006-02-07T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:11:33.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Health, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

Everyone loves a gift, especially if it can contribute to finding a cure for cancer. The John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI) has announced that it received a gift from Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson in the amount of $5 million, the largest single contribution the Institute has ever received. JWCI will use the money to expand existing research and develop fields of study in cancer research. The Institute intends to continue its affiliation with Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica.

“We are honored to be affiliated with the Institute and its fine team of doctors and researchers, and we look forward to providing continuing assistance in its fight against cancer and its search for cures,” said Sheldon G. Adelson, a member of the JWCI board of directors and chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas and the Sands Macao in China.

The JWCI conducts interdisciplinary basic, clinical and translational research, and applies that knowledge to advance modern cancer treatment. JWCI’s internationally recognized team of scientists and clinical researchers is dedicated to investigating and studying numerous types of cancer in an unrelenting effort to find a cure or control for each type of cancer.

“This gift will enhance the Institute’s research programs by funding the recruitment of additional world-class basic research scientists and clinical investigators,” said Dr. Donald L. Morton, president and surgeon-in-chief of JWCI.

Additionally, the JWCI conducts innovative research focusing on biological mechanisms to provide new understandings of the cause, diagnosis, control and cure of cancer; provides training for new generations of surgical scientists who study and treat cancer; and offers experimental treatment services to develop and test new forms of diagnosis and therapy to improve the quality of life and expected survival of those afflicted with cancer.

“The Adelsons’ gracious gift and long-term involvement to the Institute will ensure its independence, allow the JWCI to recruit new scientists and expand its translational research programs for which JWCI has become world renowned, “ said Ethan Wayne, a member of the JWCI board and director of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, which provided the seed money to establish the JWCI.

The John Wayne name has been committed by the Wayne family to cancer research and education in memory of their father who died of cancer. The John Wayne Cancer Institute has received acclaim for advances in melanoma, breast and colon cancer as well as immune therapy of cancer. Other areas of research include prostate and liver cancer. Addressing the political culture with ‘flying colors’

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 7, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/020706.pdf?ref=smdp.com)