Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

In the late 1960s, a group of scientists and volunteers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) came together to develop a cancer center they hoped would become renowned for excellence in research, education and patient care. In 1976, the group was awarded NCI designation and became UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC). Today, more than 250 physicians and scientists are working for the JCCC to deliver the highest standards of excellence in patient care, education, basic science, clinical research and cancer prevention.

The JCCC’s long standing vision is to be an international leader conducting transdisciplinary cancer research that advances the most effective approaches to prevention, detection and treatment while delivering the highest quality patient-centered, integrated care.

Each year, JCCC physicians have over 20,000 patient visits and conduct hundreds of clinical trials. This robust clinical enterprise allows our scientists to take cancer treatment from bench to beside and benefit not only from interaction with their colleagues in the lab, but also the physicians who are putting their ideas into real-world practice. The JCCC facilitates an extensive range of clinical trials at UCLA, its affiliated sites throughout southern California, through Translational Research in Oncology US (TRIO-US) and worldwide through TRIO-Global. These strategic partnerships allow patients worldwide access to leading-edge treatment and clinical trials.

The JCCC is world-renowned as a leader in clinical trials testing of molecularly targeted therapies, and the Center’s quest to find new and more effective therapies cancer has resulted in notable number of groundbreaking discoveries. These include Herceptin for breast cancer, developed based on pre-clinical and clinical researched conducted at UCLA, and Keytruda, the recently FDA-approved breakthrough immunotherapy treatment for metastatic melanoma. JCCC researchers were also integral partners in the development of leading-edge treatments Avastin, Palbociclib and Gleevec.

The JCCC has a long tradition of outreach to its Los Angeles community and is a proven leader in health disparities research. This commitment is highlighted by the Center’s extensive contribution to the battle against breast and colorectal cancer among underserved populations. This community-based work also coincides with the JCCC’s many preventive initiatives, and these efforts focus on reducing the incidence of cancer through everything from leading-edge gene therapies to simple lifestyle modifications.

The JCCC is further committed to providing supportive cancer care to patients that extends far beyond diagnosis, to treat the whole person and not just the disease. The Center offers numerous programs that connect patients with physicians, counselors and alternative medicine practitioners to complement the important aspects of cancer care that occur outside our clinics and hospitals. The JCCC is also a leader in developing cancer survivorship programs that seek to address the emotional and spiritual needs of these patients that are often neglected in modern cancer treatment.

Training the next generation of physicians and scientists is a core mission of the JCCC. The Center works closely with both the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and basic science faculty to ensure that promising young investigators are identified early in their career. The JCCC relies on a constant influx of fresh ideas and perspectives to fuel the innovation that is a hallmark of the Center.

To learn more about the Center and connect with JCCC faculty and staff, please visit cancer.ucla.edu.

* This profile was provided by the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.