Boston – With a landmark $16.5 million gift from John F. (Jack) and Shelley Blais of Framingham, Mass., Fort Myers, Fla. and Wolfeboro, N.H., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will establish a world-class protein research facility, the Blais Proteomics Center, where the study of cellular proteins marks the “next frontier” in cancer research.

The Blais Proteomics Center will expand and accelerate the work of Dana-Farber scientists who are focused on developing proteomic techniques for understanding the basic workings of normal and cancer cells.

Information generated by this research is crucial to the development of better methods for diagnosing, treating and preventing cancer.

“The scientists and doctors at Dana-Farber have long established themselves as having the intellectual capacity and scientific foresight toturn laboratory discoveries into cancer treatments,” says Jack Blais. “The expanding field of protein research, combined with the diligent work of the Dana-Farber scientists, truly has the potential to unlock the mysteries of cancer in our lifetime and to provide the hope of cures for cancer patients worldwide.”

This $16.5 million gift brings to more than $30 million the amount the Blais family has contributed to Dana-Farber to support protein research and other cutting-edge initiatives.

The gift will enable Dana-Farber to purchase additional new-generation mass spectrometers, which identify proteins within cells, and recruit research scientists and technicians to operate them.