With a plan "to share knowledge and expertise," Allegheny Health Network has signed a memorandum of understanding to affiliate with the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore. The affiliation is expected to stipulate a five-year agreement during which the two health centers will collaborate on education, research and clinical matters. The deal is expected to be finalized within a few months. The Johns Hopkins center was one of the first to be designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, one of 41 such centers nationally including the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.