The Earle A. Chiles Research Institute is a world-class research facility dedicated to discovering curative therapies for cancer patients. Located within Providence Cancer Center in Portland, Ore., our main area of investigation is cancer immunotherapy, a specialized field of study focused on triggering the immune system to fight cancer.
Established in 1987 through a collaboration between the Chiles Foundation and Providence Health & Services, cancer research was made the primary focus in 1993 with the recruitment of Walter J. Urba, M.D., Ph.D. from the National Cancer Institute. Under Dr. Urba’s leadership, cancer immunotherapy research has flourished through the generosity of Robert W. Franz and Elsie Franz Finley, benefactors of the Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center created in 1996. Today, we garner more than $2 million annually in federal and other sponsored grant funding with a research staff of more than 90 team members.