Skip to Main Content

News & Publications

50th Table of Contents

Multicolor map of Baltimore, Maryland
Published in Promise & Progress - 2023/2024 Part I

1970s

The National Cancer Act of 1971 leads to the creation of the National Cancer Institute. In 1973, the trustees of the University and Hospital approve construction of the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, which opens in April 1977. The Center is among the first to earn comprehensive cancer center status and recognition as a “Center of Excellence.”

3D photograph filter of Albert H. Owens Jr., M.D.

1980s

Our researchers begin to crack the cancer code, revealing it as a disease caused by an accumulation of genetic mistakes. This becomes the paradigm for much of modern cancer research, ushering in the age of molecular cancer biology with new gene-targeted therapies and paving the way for gene-based screening tests for cancer.

Ross C Donehower, M.D.

1990s

The field of epigenetics, characterized by chemical alterations to genes that support the growth and spread of cancer without mutating the DNA, becomes part of mainstream cancer medicine. The Cancer Center’s discoveries in genetics and epigenetics are regarded as the most relevant in cancer biology, earning the Center the nickname “Cancer Research Powerhouse.”

Martin D. Abeloff, M.D.

2000s

Translational, bench-to-bedside research continues to be the hallmark of our Cancer Center. Breakthroughs in research and clinical care are facilitated by two new cancer research buildings, and our Center is renamed in honor of philanthropist Sidney Kimmel.
Bill Nelson M.D.

2010s

Cancer care moves primarily to the outpatient setting, and the Kimmel Cancer Center expands, occupying the largest footprint at Johns Hopkins. Breakthroughs in immunotherapy, using drugs and vaccines to unleash the natural killing power of the immune system against cancer, are a key clinical advance. Multidisciplinary Clinics, with specialists from all fields related to cancer care working together, become the standard, leading to improved therapies and survival.
illustration of upper body with lungs visible

2020s

Entering the digital age of cancer medicine, advanced computer technologies, such as machine learning, are making sense of the billions of data points generated in modern cancer research and medicine to predict the best treatment options for each patient, understand disparities and close gaps, improve cancer detection, and reveal novel ways to combat cancer.
Colorful illustration of a map of Baltimore, MD