Penn Medicine has established the King Center for Lynch Syndrome at the Abramson Cancer Center, following a $10 million donation from Cynthia King, the late Jeffery King, and Jason and Julie Borrelli. This marks the creation of the world’s first named center dedicated to Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that affects about 1 in 279 people in the United States and increases their risk for certain cancers such as colorectal and endometrial cancer.
The donation continues previous philanthropic efforts by the King family aimed at increasing education and outreach regarding Lynch syndrome. Over the past six years, Penn Medicine has seen its number of patients with Lynch syndrome nearly triple. Currently, almost 1,000 individuals receive specialized care for this condition at Penn Medicine, many traveling from outside Philadelphia and across the Northeast.
“Although Lynch syndrome is one of the most common genetic causes of cancer, most people do not know what Lynch syndrome is, and many people living with Lynch syndrome do not know they have it,” said Bryson Katona, MD, PhD, co-founder and inaugural executive director of the King Center for Lynch Syndrome. “With this impactful support from the King and Borrelli families, we will extend Penn Medicine’s leadership in addressing the needs of the Lynch syndrome community including more cutting-edge research, life-long comprehensive care, and increased awareness.”
The Kings’ involvement stems from personal experience with Lynch syndrome. Their support includes sponsoring an annual symposium on education and research as well as endowing a professorship currently held by Dr. Katona. After Jeffery King's death in August 2025, his family continued their commitment to supporting patients and advancing research on this condition. Julie Borrelli described her father’s late diagnosis: “My father did not discover that he carried the mutation for Lynch syndrome until he was in his late 60s and battling his second Lynch-related cancer. As we dove deeper into this surprisingly common hereditary condition we were shocked that we had never heard of it and we quickly realized how important awareness was to not only our family but to so many others.” She added that early testing allowed her to manage her own risk proactively.
“Early detection followed by routine surveillance has been shown to limit Lynch's impact on life expectancy,” Borrelli explained. “The initial fear of the unknown that our family faced is now filled with tremendous hope through our partnership with Penn Medicine, and our wish is that the King Center will help provide the gift of knowledge to others and the support to continue impactful research and care.”
Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, director of Abramson Cancer Center at Penn said: “The King and Borrelli families have been incredible advocates of our Lynch syndrome program, and we are deeply grateful for their shared commitment to improving the lives of patients and families... The King Center for Lynch Syndrome will strengthen our collaborative research ecosystem and accelerate more personalized approaches to early detection, surveillance, and care for individuals at inherited risk.”
Lynch syndrome results from mutations in genes such as MLH1 or MSH2 which normally prevent cancer through DNA repair mechanisms. Mutations increase lifetime risks: while general population risks are about four percent for colorectal cancer or three percent for uterine cancer; those with specific gene mutations can face much higher probabilities—upwards of 60 percent depending on individual factors.
Care plans must be tailored according to each patient’s genetic profile due to variable risks associated with different mutations. Jessica Long MS CGC explained: “Often patients with Lynch syndrome will get their colonoscopy... but their gastroenterologist may not know or feel comfortable telling them what to do about their uterine cancer risk...” She emphasized supporting patients in understanding evidence-based recommendations so they can reduce cancer burden within families.
National guidelines continue evolving alongside new findings related to screening strategies or treatments targeting DNA mismatch repair deficiencies.
The recent gift enables expansion in educational outreach among both healthcare providers and affected families; supports individualized patient care; funds clinical trials; advances basic science; supports translational research initiatives; grows biobank resources; all contributing toward better understanding—and management—of disease variability among those carrying these gene mutations.
More than 400 individuals are enrolled in clinical studies at Penn Medicine—many being "previvors" who carry known mutations but have yet avoided developing any cancers themselves. E John Wherry PhD noted: “One of the challenges...is that we see highly variable risks across individuals... We’re actively investigating how immune system differences may affect these outcomes so future management can be even more personalized.”
Currently over 1,200 blood samples are banked as part of ongoing projects focused on immune profiling among those affected by this hereditary disorder.
A fifth annual symposium hosted by The King Center is scheduled for March 10th next year where interested parties—including professionals or affected families—can learn about current advances regarding treatment options or ongoing studies.
