Cedars-Sinai will open its Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Brain Tumor Center on Thursday, May 3 to shepherd basic research discoveries through patient trials and the government approval process.

"The new Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Brain Tumor Center serves as a coordination point for the physicians who specialize in clinical trials, the data managers, and the clinical research nurses who interface with the Food and Drug Administration and institutional review boards to manage human studies, said Keith L. Black, M.D., chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and director of the new center.

"New discoveries and potential therapies will undergo the same extensive scrutiny as before, but the center and its dedicated personnel will allow us to streamline the process, efficiently advancing basic research findings into early human studies," said Black.

The May 3 opening will begin with a morning dedication ceremony in Harvey Morse Auditorium and conclude with an evening invitation-only gala at the Beverly Wilshire.
Participating in the day's events will be members of the Brain Trust, a group of women from the entertainment industry and other fields who have raised millions of dollars to support the research efforts of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute.

With the personal and financial support of Dale Cochran, Johnnie's widow, the research center is named after the famed Los Angeles attorney whose life was cut short by a brain tumor. Johnnie Cochran received care at Cedars-Sinai, but his life could not be saved. His family hopes that new discoveries will lead to better treatments and even cures.

"Our basic research scientists, patient care teams and human trials research specialists are committed to accelerating the search for new treatments that will alleviate the suffering that brain tumors cause. The Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Brain Tumor Center is a major step in that direction," Black said.