Philanthropic gifts supporting early scientific work often serve as leverage for investigators to vie for larger competing grants to enhance and expand their efforts. Such was the case with the $1.2 million award to Rutgers Cancer Institute Director Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, from the Neuroendocrine Tumor Foundation (NETRF). A contribution from James Amick, PhD, in honor of his late wife Nancy supports Dr. Libutti’s research in the laboratory space named for her: The Nancy Scott Amick Memorial Laboratory for Cancer Research. That gift – along with others from Andrew Mason and Richard Berry – supporting Libutti’s work helped leverage the award given by the NETRF. Read more about the grant here.
The legacy gift from the Amrick family was profiled in the Winter 2019 edition of Cancer Connection magazine (below):
James Amick, PhD (right) and his late wife Nancy Scott Amick
In the fall of 2017, the Memorial Wall at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey saw the addition of Nancy Scott Amick’s name. More recently, her name was etched outside a prominent laboratory – that of Rutgers Cancer Institute Director Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS. The Nancy Scott Amick Memorial Laboratory for Cancer Research is named in memory of a wonderful, bright, compassionate woman thanks to a generous contribution from her beloved husband James Amick, PhD.
The Rutgers Cancer Institute laboratory, managed by Ziqiang Yuan, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and under the direction of Dr. Libutti, focuses on neuroendocrine tumors and on the rare, hereditary endocrine cancer syndrome known as MEN1. The team studies the development and growth of neuroendocrine tumors in various models and investigates strategies to develop novel cancer therapies.
The Memorial Wall
Libutti is a leader in the field of endocrine and neuroendocrine tumors, and his lab strives to bring further recognition to these types of cancer that have traditionally received little attention. “I am deeply grateful for the Amick family’s commitment to fund our research efforts in Mrs. Amick’s memory. Philanthropy plays a critical role in the advancement of scientific discoveries, and the research being conducted in The Nancy Scott Amick Memorial Lab for Cancer Research is crucial as we work to better understand the mechanisms behind these tumors and develop new treatment options for patients,” notes Libutti, who is also the senior vice president of oncology services for RWJBarnabas Health.
As Nancy was a true humanitarian in her life, her legacy of helping others will continue through the work done in The Nancy Scott Amick Memorial Laboratory for Cancer Research. Her memory will certainly leave a lasting impression, and according to her husband, Dr. James Amick, “The Amick family fervently hopes that research supported by this memorial gift will lead to significant advances in understanding and conquering cancer.”
The Memorial Wall is a tribute to loved ones lost for whom donations are made to Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. A celebratory event takes place each year honoring those added to the wall. While their memories live on in the hearts of their family and friends, their legacies continue within the cancer center perpetually and serve as an inspiration to others. For additional information, please call 848-932-8013.