Michael Sapienza, CEO, Colorectal Cancer Alliance
Project Cure CRC, a $100 million initiative by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance), continues to revolutionize colorectal cancer research by announcing three new groundbreaking grants aimed at transforming patient care. To date, Project Cure CRC has reviewed more than 500 research proposals and invested nearly $13 million to fuel 32 innovative studies. Several grantees have already published progress from their work in prestigious scientific journals, reflecting the program’s impact on advancing the field. As the largest nonprofit dedicated to ending colorectal cancer, the Alliance is prioritizing Project Cure CRC to accelerate the development of cutting-edge treatments that improve outcomes for patients worldwide.
The discoveries emerging from Project Cure CRC represent the most exciting advances we’ve seen in colorectal cancer research in decades. By strategically investing in bold ideas and brilliant scientists, we’re accelerating the pace of progress toward treatments that patients urgently need.
Recent Funding from Project Cure CRC
The most recent Project Cure CRC grants support innovative research at leading institutions including La Jolla, Virginia Tech, and the University of Arizona. These new projects focus on areas with high potential to change the landscape of colorectal cancer treatment:
- Miguel Reina-Campos, Ph.D., La Jolla Institute for Immunology – TRM-Reactivation Immunotherapy: A New Approach Against Metastatic Colorectal Cancer ($210,000)
- DaeYong Lee, Ph.D., Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion – Rational Design of Bispecific Conjugates for Immunotherapy of Colorectal Cancers ($100,000)
- Kelvin Pond, Ph.D., University of Arizona – Dissection of PI3K and MAPK Dynamics in Patient-Derived Colorectal Cancer Organoids for Accelerating Therapeutic Development ($188,000)
Project Cure CRC Researchers with Published Articles
Several Project Cure CRC scientists have already published articles about their preliminary work in peer-reviewed journals, advancing scientific understanding and citing the Alliance for funding support:
- Ekaterina Dadachova, Ph.D., University of Saskatchewan – Actinium-armed antibody targeting CCR8+ regulatory T cells synergizes with immunotherapy to promote tumor rejection in syngeneic colorectal cancer models
- DaeYong Lee, Ph.D., Virginia Tech – Cancer researchers shape new strategies for immunotherapy
- Lisa Mielke, Ph.D., Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and La Trobe University – Key nervous system components shown to influence gastrointestinal tumour growth
Colorectal cancer is the leading cancer killer among men under 50 and is predicted to be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among people aged 20–49 by 2030, yet it remains less known and less funded than other less deadly cancers. Without research there is no progress, so we are prioritizing Project Cure CRC to end this disease.
Past Alliance-funded research has been instrumental in revolutionary advancements. In 2018, Alliance support for Josh Smith, M.D., Ph.D., now Chair of Colon and Rectal Surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center, was critical to his team’s groundbreaking work as they created and developed the first viable rectal cancer organoid models, which have since transformed options for patients with rectal cancer and the discovery of novel treatments.
Every breakthrough begins with research, and every discovery brings us closer to a cure. The Alliance invites the public, corporations, foundations, and philanthropists to help fuel this progress by contributing to Project Cure CRC.
For more information on Project Cure CRC, view our recent Curecast, get involved, donate, or learn about submitting a research proposal, visit colorectalcancer.org/curecrc.
Cite: Project Cure CRC aims to accelerate progress in cancer research. touchONCOLOGY. November 19th, 2025
Disclosure: This short article was provided by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance). No funding or publication fees were involved in the publication of this article.
Related content
- Project Cure CRC continues to fuel urgently needed research funding with grants totalling almost $12 million
- Alliance Presents Project Cure CRC Poster Sessions at AACR Annual Meeting & Awards New Grants to Accelerate Progress
- Modulating Cancer Immunotherapy Through the Intestinal Microbiota: Mechanisms, Clinical Evidence and the Emerging Role of Faecal Microbiota Transplantation
SIGN UP to touchONCOLOGY!
Join our global community today for access to thousands of peer-reviewed articles, expert insights, and learn-on-the-go education across 150+ specialties, plus concise email updates and newsletters so you never miss out.
