Oregon Health & Science University said that it received a challenge from Nike co-founder and chairman Phil Knight of raising $500 million. It has been able to meet the challenge and now, it is the turn of Knight, who has stated that he will donate the same amount to cancer research.

Knight is happy that the university has achieved the target. He stated that the news also reflects what is possible when people focus on a single goal. Collective amount, which is $1 billion, will be utilized to come up with the first large-scale program for early detection of lethal cancer.

The money will also be used for the fast-track recruitments of 250 to 300 scientists, who will help in launching the initiative. OSHU said that around 25 of the world's best researchers will work in the initiative.

Brian Druker, a doctor director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, was of the view, "While cancer treatment has evolved to become more precise and less toxic, the tests and tools used for cancer detection have not changed in decades".

There is a need to come up with better detection measures. Also, there should be a complete understanding of cancer's origins in the body. Both the things will help in coming up with precision cancer medicine.

Early detection of cancer and also more precisely will help doctors to know better cures to attack the disease and improve survival rates. Early detection can also lower overall costs of treatment.