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Here is a quick overview of our programs and accomplishments. Follow the links for more information on specific topics, and contact us if you can’t find the information you’re looking for on the site.
Institute Profile
- Mission: To support and coordinate laboratory and clinical efforts that will lead to the immunological treatment, control, and prevention of cancer.
- Tagline: Advancing Immunology. Conquering Cancer.
- Founded in 1953 by Helen Coley Nauts to continue the work begun by her father, Dr. William B. Coley, who pioneered non-surgical, immune-based treatments for cancer
- 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization headquartered in New York City, with volunteer offices in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Texas, and Virginia
- Scientific Advisory Council composed of 65 leading immunologists, including 3 Nobel laureates, 29 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 21 members of the Academy of Cancer Immunology
Donations & Charity Ratings
- Offers several donation options, including planned giving, special-purpose giving, workplace giving/matching gifts, and cash and property donations
- Keeps overhead from fundraising and administrative costs to a minimum; in 2011, CRI dedicated more than 86 percent of its operating budget to its programs
- Earns “A” grade from the American Institute of Philanthropy for fiscal disclosure and efficiency
- Cancer Research Institute has earned the GuideStar Exchange Seal, indicating our commitment to the transparency of our organizational information to donors, funders, those we serve, the public, and regulators.
- Member organization of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance and is a BBB Charity Seal Holder
Cancer Immunology
- Field of medical research and clinical practice based on the immune system’s role in treating and potentially curing cancer
- Explores cancer vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and other possible methods of harnessing the body’s natural defenses
- CRI programs have been instrumental in pioneering the field and funding discoveries, offering hope for the ultimate prevention, and treatment of cancer
Research Milestones & Funding
- Over the past decade-and-a-half, CRI scientists and others have established through clinical and laboratory studies that:
- (1) the immune system protects against cancer development and can check growth of established tumors;
- (2) cancer-specific markers called antigens are recognized and targeted for attack by the immune system;
- (3) patients whose tumors show signs of infiltration by immune cells fare better than patients whose tumors do not; and
- (4) therapies that strengthen the immune response confer clinical benefit on cancer patients. Taken together, these advances in cancer immunology have provided a firm theoretical basis to test the validity of cancer vaccines as a therapeutic strategy.
- First vaccine for cervical cancer, discovered by CRI-funded scientist Dr. Ian Frazer
- First therapeutic cancer vaccine for patient-specific treatment in humans approved by the Russian Ministry of Public Health for the treatment of kidney cancer, developed by CRI-funded researcher Dr. Pramod K. Srivastava
- Licensing agreement for tumor-specific antigens between GlaxoSmithKline and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, CRI’s partner in the Cancer Vaccine Collaborative, to develop vaccines for lung, melanoma, breast, head and neck, bladder and liver cancers. From this agreement, GSK has developed a vaccine for non-small cell lung cancer and is currently testing it in the largest lung cancer study ever.
- In April 2010, the FDA approved the first therapeutic cancer vaccine--Provenge®--for the treatment of late-stage prostate cancer; this vaccine is based on fundamental principles of immunology developed in part of CRI scientists over the past two decades.
- In June 2010, Bristol Myers-Squibb announced at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology that its immunotherapy, ipilimumab--a monoclonal antibody discovered by CRI Scientific Advisory Council member James P. Allison, Ph.D.--is the first treatment ever proven in a phase III randomized clinical trial to confer survival benefit on patients with advanced melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
- Since inception, has supported nearly 3,000 scientists and clinicians at leading universities, hospitals, and research centers worldwide.
- During fiscal year 2011, CRI awarded $11.8 million in new training and research grants to 39 scientists worldwide.
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
- Predoctoral Emphasis Pathway in Tumor Immunology program supports doctoral students planning to pursue a career in cancer immunology
- Irvington Institute Fellowship Program of the Cancer Research Institute helps to train young immunologists at leading universities and research centers
- Investigator Award Program supports assistant professors undertaking their first independent investigations in basic and tumor immunology
- Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) supports basic, pre-clinical, and translational research that will provide information that can be directly applied to optimizing cancer immunotherapy in the clinic.
- Clinical Investigation Program, composed of:
- Coordinated Cancer Initiatives strategic funding program mobilizes experts in different scientific disciplines to collaborate in key areas
- Cancer Vaccine Collaborative (CVC) is a joint program with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and is the world’s first and only coordinated global network of academic, early-phase clinical trials to accelerate laboratory discoveries into vaccine therapies
- Cancer Immunotherapy Consortium (CIC) is an international association providing dialogue and opportunities for collaboration among pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic institutions engaged in cancer vaccine research and development
- Cancer Vaccine Acceleration Fund (CVAF) is a new CRI venture philanthropy program dedicated to unlocking the full promise of these treatments sooner by providing biotech companies with funding and other valuable clinical trials resources in support of early stage clinical trials.
- Designated Grants Program supports research for which, in most cases, funds have been raised specifically
- AIDS Program funds investigations into how the AIDS virus infects the cells of the immune system and how the virus can be deterred.
- Concern Foundation Program provides support from CRI and Concern Foundation for Cancer Research of Beverly Hills to one of the world’s leading tumor biologists, Dr. George Klein at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden
- Gar Reichman Program supports the work of Dr. Malcolm A.S. Moore, who heads the Gar Reichman Laboratory and is the Enid A. Haupt Chair in Cell Biology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Conferences & Meetings
- Annual International Symposia Series for scientists and clinicians stimulates new ideas and collaborations on cancer vaccines and antibody-based therapies
- Annual meetings and colloquia of the Cancer Immunotherapy Consortium, providing a forum for industry and academic leaders in cancer vaccine research and development.
Public Information Program
Publication Series
- The Researcher tri-annual newsletter features scientist interviews, donor and staff profiles, and news and events information
- Visionary is a quarterly newsletter that presents different planned giving options and discusses the value of cancer research donations
- Lab Notes tri-annual update on noteworthy scientific accomplishments of CRI researchers as reported in peer-reviewed scientific literature
- Cancer ImmuNews, our e-mail bulletin on CRI news, fundraising, and events
PATIENT CARE
- The Drive Against Prostate Cancer is a partnership with ZERO: The Project to End Prostate Cancer, which supports Thor Industries' mobile clinics that provide free prostate cancer screenings to men across the United States
HONORARY AWARDS
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