The Must Foundation
The Svanhild and Arne Must Foundation for Medical Research (the Must Foundation) is a foundation established by the Must family in 1994. The foundation’s purpose is to provide funding and support for medical research. The foundation is backed by an endowment donated by the Must family to support research initiatives. Today, the fund amounts to NOK 600 million.
The first project supported by the foundation was research on gene repair led by Hans Krokan at the Institute of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine at NTNU in Trondheim. In total, the foundation’s support has amounted to more than NOK 25 million. The institute has received international recognition for its research and was eventually regarded as one of the world’s leading institutions within its field. The support from the Must Foundation has been an important contributor to this success, and the institute’s record of scientific publications and graduated doctoral candidates is substantial.
In recent years, the foundation has joined a donor consortium together with the Norwegian Cancer Society and the Radium Hospital Research Foundation to support the establishment of a Center for Advanced Cell Therapy at Oslo University Hospital. The necessary investments, operational costs, and salaries during the establishment phase are budgeted at NOK 50 million, of which NOK 30 million will be contributed by the Must Foundation.
Cell therapy is now emerging as a revolutionary treatment option, not only in oncology, but also within regenerative medicine and gene therapy for inherited diseases. The Must Foundation looks forward to following developments in this groundbreaking field and, not least, to contributing to the establishment of a strong treatment offering in Norway for the many patients who may benefit from this type of therapy.
