The Ludwig Vision at Harvard

The Opportunity:  A Gift for Innovation

The Ludwig Center at Harvard was formed through a gift from Ludwig Cancer Research. The gift provides a flexible and stable source of funding that has seeded a new initiative. Directed by Joan Brugge, PhD, and George Demetri, MD, the Center takes advantage of the unparalleled breadth and depth of basic, translational and clinical investigators from across the Harvard research community.

The Challenge:  Cancer Resistance

Despite advances in cancer therapeutics, most patients eventually relapse and succumb due to the development of resistance to therapies. The extraordinary complexity of the cancer “ecosystem” complicates the resistance problem and presents challenges that no single laboratory can conquer in isolation. 

The Vision:  A Cooperative Research Model

The Ludwig Center at Harvard directors have crafted a unique cooperative research model that brings together expert researchers with diverse expertise and perspectives. Features of the model include:

  • Engagement of a broad group of faculty from throughout the Harvard community
  • Cross-fertilization among interdisciplinary investigators from inception of projects through execution and analysis
  • Collaboration to develop of new ways of thinking about a complex problem