Fall 2025
By Michael Quinn
Team science fueled by philanthropy has always provided a driving force for Dana-Farber’s progress against cancer. As loyal Institute supporters, Digger and Susan Donahue play an integral role in this team effort and continually step forward to elevate it.
Recently, Digger and Susan made a generous gift of $1 million to the Donahue Family Fund for Prostate Cancer and the Donahue Family Fund for Cancer Interception at Dana-Farber. Their gift accelerates research to advance a novel liquid biopsy led by Toni Choueiri, MD, director of Dana-Farber’s Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology and the Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School; and Matthew Freedman, MD, the David Goldstein Chair at Dana-Farber.
Launched with the help of the Donahues’ initial gift to the project in 2020, this first-of-its-kind biopsy leverages the power of epigenetics to uncover tumor biology and ultimately inform treatment decisions. While genetic changes involve variations to the DNA sequence itself, epigenetic changes affect which genes are “expressed”—meaning turned on or off like a light switch—including genes implicated in cancer development and therapeutic resistance. By analyzing tumor-derived DNA fragments in the blood and urine to detect these chemical changes, the biopsy determines what type of cancer a patient has, which therapies the disease might respond to, and whether it is resistant to a particular drug. As a result, the test advances personalized cancer medicine that maximizes efficacy and minimizes side effects. Additionally, the liquid biopsy has the future aim of increasing patient access to potentially lifesaving early detection by providing an upgraded procedure that is less expensive, time-intensive, and invasive than a physical tissue biopsy.
With the Donahues’ sustained investment, Institute investigators were able to enhance and expand the biopsy, which was initially focused on prostate cancer, to address 14 different malignancies, including bladder, colon, lung, and skin cancers. According to Choueiri, such progress demonstrates the importance of the Donahues’ encouragement and impact of their philanthropy. “It means so much to count on Digger’s and Susan’s continued partnership,” he said. “Because of them, our multidisciplinary team can improve this test and bring it to clinics more quickly so it benefits patients everywhere.”
The Donahues are committed to supporting Dana-Farber’s team because they believe in the potential impact of the liquid biopsy. “A less invasive biopsy technique represents a real game-changer,” said Digger. “This test will provide an exciting opportunity for earlier diagnoses of cancers to save more lives,” Susan said. “We’re pleased to see so much progress and glad to be a part of it.”