Inside STAT: Sean Parker is nerding out on cancer research. And he’s doing it in style

SEAN PARKER IN THE GARDEN OF HIS LOS ANGELES HOME. (SEPTEMBER DAWN BOTTOMS FOR STAT)

When Sean Parker, of Napster and Facebook fame, announced in 2016 that he was putting up $250 million toward the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, many thought he was just the next big billionaire to take a shot at a cancer cure. But Parker has proven to be more than that. He’s widely admired, and his fans say he’s promoted real scientific progress in the field. But what may be setting Parker apart is the style he’s bringing to the otherwise technical field of cancer research — from a commissioned ice sculpture with a built-in luge for serving whiskey to celebrate Jim Allison’s Nobel Prize last year to a black-tie launch party for PICI that included the likes of Lady Gaga. Read an exclusive new storyfrom STAT’s Rebecca Robbins, who sat down with Parker at his Los Angeles home for his most extensive interview since PICI’s launch.