PHILADELPHIA, Oct 30: A foundational gift from John Gabriele Troiano, W’92, and Rosanna Troiano has established the Troiano Brain Tumor Center at Penn Medicine. Combined with institutional investment and additional philanthropy, the Troianos’ lead gift launches a $35 million initiative that represents a new phase of Penn Medicine’s bold, multi-pronged approach to brain tumor research.

“The University of Pennsylvania seeks practical solutions to humanity’s greatest challenges,” said J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, President of the University of Pennsylvania. “Through their compassionate philanthropy, John Troiano and his wife, Rosanna, have embraced this mission. Their establishment of the Troiano Brain Tumor Center sets the stage for urgently needed breakthroughs in brain tumor research and care. We are grateful for their partnership.”

This recent gift builds upon the Troianos’ previous support of cancer immunotherapy research at Penn Medicine for the treatment of terminal brain cancers, specifically the groundbreaking work of Donald M. O’Rourke, MD, with CAR T cell therapy for glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive and hard to treat type of brain tumor.

“For our family, having lost both my parents to brain tumors, this is personal,” said John G. Troiano. “No one should lose a loved one to this disease, and we know the devastation of that kind of loss all too well. Rosanna and I have made it our mission to ensure that others don’t experience the same. Creating the Troiano Brain Tumor Center at Penn Medicine brings to life our commitment to creating a world where there is hope for people with brain tumors, and, as a proud Penn alum, I believe there is no better place than Penn to deliver on that mission. We invite others to join us on our philanthropic mission to further accelerate the work of this important Center.”

Building on momentum in brain tumor research

The Troiano Brain Tumor Center will unite experts across multiple disciplines—including neurosurgery, neurology, hematology‑oncology, neuroradiology, neuropathology, and cancer biology—to advance new approaches for brain tumor treatment.

Strengthened by an integration with the Abramson Cancer Center, the Troiano Brain Tumor Center will focus on translating scientific discoveries into clinical care through innovative research; early‑phase clinical trials; and coordinated, patient‑centered treatment, under the leadership of Nduka M. Amankulor, MD, Executive Director; Dolores Hambardzumyan, PhD, MBA, Scientific Director; and Stephen J. Bagley, MD, MSCE, Clinical Director.

Notably, Amankulor’s research focuses on how brain tumors evade the immune system and how immune-based therapies could help. As a White House Cancer Moonshot Scholar, he investigates immune biomarkers that could help predict how patients respond to treatment.

“The Troiano Brain Tumor Center brings together an exceptional team to tackle one of the most challenging areas in cancer care,” said Daniel Yoshor, MD, the Charles Harrison Frazier Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery. “John and Rosanna Troiano’s generous support comes at a pivotal moment at which our team is making groundbreaking discoveries in this field. Their partnership will help advance this work to the benefit of patients around the world.”

Expanding care and accelerating discovery

The Troianos’ support also will enhance a range of initiatives to improve outcomes for patients with brain tumors, including multidisciplinary clinics, a survivorship clinic, and integrated clinical care; advance pioneering clinical research and support much-needed clinical trials; and foster the development of the next generation of brain tumor experts.

The gift will support the recruitment and retention of talented faculty to Penn’s brain tumor research community, including through two endowed professorships named for John Troiano’s parents: the Maria R. Troiano Professorship in Neurosurgery Research and the Gabriele J. Troiano Professorship in Neurosurgery.

“The Troianos have made a wonderful commitment to propel research that will pave the way for a brighter future for patients with brain tumors of all types,” said Jonathan A. Epstein, MD, Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System. “Their support empowers our experts to build on innovations like CAR T therapy and the Nobel Prize-winning mRNA platform—discoveries made here at Penn—to explore therapies that will truly help people and keep Penn Medicine at the leading edge of brain tumor research and care.”

Advancing the next generation of therapies

The investment comes at a critical moment in brain cancer research. Under the center’s leadership, researchers are pursuing new ways to understand not only cancer cells themselves, but also the tumor microenvironment—the network of immune and other cells surrounding a tumor that can influence how it grows and responds to treatment.

Hambardzumyan’s research has helped define how different brain tumors shape their immune environments and how those environments can affect treatment response, while Amankulor’s work focuses on how brain tumors evade the immune system and how immune biomarkers may help predict which therapies are most likely to benefit patients. Together with a promising dual-target approach to CAR T cell therapy for GBM, led by O'Rourke and Bagley, these efforts aim to develop more effective, personalized therapies for patients.

“Penn Medicine has spent decades investing in the science behind breakthrough therapies,” said Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “Now, bolstered by the Troianos’ visionary philanthropic leadership, we can accelerate the research that drives better outcomes for patients with brain tumors.”

John G. Troiano is the Founder, Managing Partner, and CEO of private equity firm The Beekman Group. He received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, summa cum laude with concentrations in Finance and Accounting, and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He serves on the Board of Trustees of The Episcopal School in the City of New York and has served on the board of Regis High School. With his wife, Rosanna, he has endowed a perpetual scholarship for underserved middle school children in his hometown of Staten Island, New York, and is involved with various other charitable organizations.