Research Portfolio

Research > Research Portfolio

Stand Up To Cancer funds collaborative, scientifically rigorous, treatment-focused research to develop new therapies for people with cancer. We support research both on individual cancers and on the underlying mechanisms of cancer.

We do this by funding Team Science, which brings researchers together to work on multidisciplinary projects across universities, medical centers and companies. We also provide Grants to Individuals, which bring new scientists and their ideas into cancer research by funding high-risk, high-reward projects that may not receive support through traditional grant programs.

For the full Research Portfolio, click here.

TEAM SCIENCE

DREAM TEAMS

Stand Up To Cancer Dream Teams pursue cancer research projects that address critical problems in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment to deliver near-term patient benefit through investigation by a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, collaborative team of expert investigators and patient advocates. These teams, selected and guided by leaders in the field, take innovative ideas from concept to patient in order to see whether they have the potential to revolutionize cancer care and open whole new fields of investigation.

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Multiple Accelerated Therapies
Up to 50 Researchers
Multiple Institutions
Stand Up To Cancer Oversight

Flagship projects that bring together multidisciplinary teams from different institutions to address critical problems in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Accelerated Therapies and Screening Tools
Multiple Researchers
Multiple Institutions
Stand Up To Cancer Oversight

Multi-institutional research projects that seek proof of principle for emerging questions in translational cancer research.

RESEARCH TEAMS

Stand Up To Cancer Research Grants fund cancer research projects that address critical problems in patient care and deliver near-term patient benefit through investigation by small, collaborative teams of expert investigators. These teams conduct proof of principle projects and spearhead work in new fields.

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SU2C CONVERGENCE

SU2C Convergence Grants bring together quantitative scientists and oncologists in integrated projects focused on cancer biology. SU2C Convergence Grants seek to accelerate cancer research and treatment for patients by bringing together scientists from diverse yet complementary disciplines (such as nanotechnology or new materials science).

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Biomedical Researchers
Computational Scientists
Physicists and Mathematicians
Stand Up To Cancer Oversight

For “out there” questions that require a team with diverse expertise to answer.

Combination Therapies
Proof-of-Principle Clinical Trials
Stand Up To Cancer Oversight

Efficient, quick “signal finding” clinical trials of new therapeutic combinations.

SU2C CATALYST™

SU2C Catalyst™ uses funding and materials from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostic, and medical device industries to rapidly explore new uses of potential compounds for cancer prevention, detection and treatment. Projects are required to be multi-investigator and multi-institutional.

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NEW THERAPIES CHALLENGE RESEARCH TEAMS

New Therapies Challenge Research Teams, part of a focused effort to increase therapies to treat pancreatic cancer, support investigations of novel or repurposed treatments that have the potential to significantly impact pancreatic cancer patients in the near term. Successful research teams will be eligible to apply for additional funding for further clinical studies.

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Combination Therapies
Drug Compounds
Proof of Principle Clinical Trials
Stand Up To Cancer Oversight

Efficient, quick ‘signal-finding’ clinical trials for new treatments for pancreatic cancer.

ADDITIONAL TEAM AWARDS

We believe in big ideas. In addition to SU2C’s research portfolio, several other avenues of funding are available to researchers and scientists with a high potential to impact patient care. SU2C enables outside-the-box collaborations and supports the next generation of scientists who will shape the future of cancer research through unique awards including the Phillip A. Sharp Innovation in Collaboration Awards and the Laura Ziskin Prize.

PHILLIP A. SHARP CHALLENGE AWARD

The Pancreatic Cancer Collective Phillip A. Sharp Challenge Award, presented in 2021,
supports a novel cancer research project involving a synergistic and innovative collaboration
that explores pancreatic cancer interception. The recipients are Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD,
and Benjamin Greenbaum, PhD.

THE PHILLIP A. SHARP INNOVATION IN COLLABORATION AWARDS

The hallmark of the Sharp Awards process is its quick ability to spark “aha” moments. Brief proposals are reviewed during the annual SU2C Summit by a committee of senior scientists and the awards are announced at that same meeting.

The Laura Ziskin Prize

The Ziskin Prize is named for Laura Ziskin, legendary Hollywood producer, who cofounded SU2C
and lived with breast cancer for seven years before she died in 2011. The prize provides a one-year,$250,000 grant that is shared by two scientists at different institutions. Funds are used to collaborate on high-risk, high-reward breast cancer research.

The Jim Toth Sr. Breakthrough Lung Cancer Research Award

This award was named in honor of Jim Toth Sr., who passed away from lung cancer.
It provided funding for highly innovative, clinically focused lung cancer research.

Individual Awards

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH GRANTS

SU2C’s Innovative Research Grants (IRGs) support cutting-edge cancer research that would be deemed too high-risk to pursue through traditional channels. IRGs provide significant funding to early-career scientists with novel ideas that have a strong potential to impact patient care.

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1 Researcher
Bold Idea
Stand Up To Cancer Oversight

Significant funding for early-career scientists for cutting-edge, novel projects that have a strong potential to impact patient care and might not receive funding through traditional channels.

ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

SU2C SHARP TANK EARLY CAREER SCIENTIST AWARD

The 2020 SU2C Sharp Tank Early Career Scientist Award supported an early-career investigator with a novel cancer research proposal offering cutting-edge, high-risk ideas that had the greatest potential impact for cancer patients. Catherine Marinac, PhD, was the recipient.

SU2C-Peggy Prescott Early Career Scientist Award

The SU2C-Peggy Prescott Early Career Scientist Award in Colorectal Cancer Research supported
a novel cancer research project with significant potential for advancing key inquiries in colorectal
cancer research. The 2019 recipient was Karin Pelka, PhD.

GOLDEN ARROW EARLY CAREER SCIENTIST AWARD

Awarded in 2019 to William Freed-Pastor, MD, PhD, the SU2C Golden Arrow Early Career Scientist Award supported a novel cancer research project that, through collaboration with a current SU2C project, had significant potential for advancing key inquiries in cancer research.

Steve Golin Prize

The Steve Golin Fund accelerates research in Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone and soft tissue cancer predominantly found in children.

Emperor Science Awards

From 2016 to 2018, the Emperor Science Award program encouraged high school students to
explore careers in cancer research through a unique mentoring opportunity. This education initiative was inspired by the Ken Burns documentary Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies and
supported by grants from Genentech, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Novartis. Three hundred students were selected in national competitions, and each received a $1,500
stipend, a laptop computer, and the opportunity to work alongside an esteemed scientist on a multi-week cancer research project.

STRATEGIC COLLABORATIONS

The power of collaboration and cooperation is at the heart of Stand Up To Cancer. SU2C works with like-minded organizations to jointly fund research projects with the aim of eliminating specific cancers. Our collaborators offer subject matter expertise on issues and concerns specific to their constituencies and patient populations. As we mobilize our scientific competencies, we work together to fulfill our shared goals and vision.

These leading cancer research organizations will inspire new collaborators; improve diagnosis of pancreatic cancer using big data; develop new treatments for pancreatic cancer; and support the next generation of pancreatic cancer investigators.

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The SU2C Kate McGarrigle Fund is a new collaborative program from Stand Up To Cancer and the Kate McGarrigle Foundation that aims to provide music therapy resources to cancer patients with a passion for music, as well as much-needed funds for sarcoma research.

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