Canary Foundation, a cancer-focused non-profit based in Palo Alto, Calif., has received two contributions totaling $8.5 million to advance Canary’s goal of developing cancer early detection diagnostic tools.

The first gift, $7.5 million, is from the William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation to support a faculty position focused on clinical trials at the Canary Center at Stanford.  The management of the clinical trial process is a growing need at the center with requirements ranging from the approval process for patient studies, storing and testing samples from current clinical trials and growing the center's ability to support current and future clinical trials. The gift will also provide funds for the Founder's Fund that supports unmet needs and special projects.

The second donation of $1 million is from the Frank and Denise Quattrone Foundation and supports the Prostate Active Surveillance Study (PASS). A clinical trial involving 1,000 men, PASS is looking for ways to distinguish lethal versus non-lethal prostate cancer.  This gift is timely as the prostate cancer science team moves deeper into the trial, providing funds to complete the enrollment of men, gather and test samples and develop important industry partners.

"These contributions create new momentum for our research," said Ronica Smucker, executive director of Canary Foundation. "Moving the studies out of the lab and to patients, with FDA approval, helps prove the efficacy of the blood and imaging tests we are developing that can save lives on a widespread basis. The support of these foundations brings Canary's mission to a whole new level."