Hoosier Oncology Group in Indianapolis has received a $1.9 million gift from the estate of Margaret M. Weeks of Evansville, Ind. Hoosier Oncology Group will use the gift to further cancer research through the conduct of clinical trials. The gift is one of the largest donations in the organization’s history.

“We are deeply honored to receive this gift from the Margaret M. Weeks Trust,” said Chris Fausel, Pharm. D., chairman of the board of directors for Hoosier Oncology Group. “These funds will provide new opportunities for our network of investigators to advance cancer research through high-quality clinical trials.”

Hoosier Oncology Group will use 100 percent of the gift to support cancer research. The organization will use a portion of the money immediately to expand its capacity to hold blood and tissue samples for research. These samples are valuable not only to initial studies, but also to further studies that often involve participants with highly specific genetic and disease characteristics.

“Increasing our sample capacity will strengthen Hoosier Oncology’s ability to support the studies that are unlocking the genetic mystery of cancer. Through these studies, we are seeing the continual development of safer and more effective cancer treatments,” said Fausel.

A trust established by Weeks in 2001 through Fifth Third Bank in Evansville, Ind. designated the bequest to Hoosier Oncology Group.

“It is an honor to be part of carrying out the wishes of Mrs. Weeks to leave a legacy empowering the fight against cancer,” said John Daniel, Fifth Third Bank, Southern Indiana President and CEO. “Her gift will allow important research to continue in the quest for more effective treatments for cancer survivors, and ultimately finding a cure for this devastating disease.”

Weeks was born June 18, 1918. She worked as a school teacher in the Indianapolis Public Schools and lived in the Good Samaritan Home in Evansville at the time of her death on Feb. 14, 2013. Weeks’ husband, John F. Weeks, preceded her in death.

Hoosier Cancer Research Network (formerly known as Hoosier Oncology Group) conducts innovative cancer research in collaboration with academic and community physicians and scientists across the United States. The organization provides comprehensive clinical trial management and support, from conception through publication. Created in 1984 as a program of the Walther Cancer Institute, Hoosier Cancer Research Network became an independent nonprofit clinical research organization in 2007. Since its founding, Hoosier Cancer Research Network has initiated more than 150 trials in a variety of cancer types and supportive care, resulting in more than 300 publications. More than 4,400 patients have participated in Hoosier Cancer Research Network clinical trials.