{"id":37449,"date":"2026-03-10T11:20:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T15:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cancerresearch.org\/?post_type=cri_news&p=37449"},"modified":"2026-03-10T11:21:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T15:21:38","slug":"aging-cancer-research-funding-partnership","status":"publish","type":"cri_news","link":"https:\/\/www.cancerresearch.org\/es\/media-room\/aging-cancer-research-funding-partnership","title":{"rendered":"Multi-Organization Partnership Announces $2.5 Million\u00a0for Aging & Cancer Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Awards follow recent launch of the Samuel Waxman Aging & Cancer Institute, an affiliate of The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NEW YORK, NY – Taking aim at the leading risk factor for cancer, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research and the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) today announced $2.5 million to support science at the intersection of aging biology and cancer. The money will fund five collaborative research grants, which will be administered by The Mark Foundation through the newly established Samuel Waxman Institute for Aging & Cancer (Waxman Institute)<\/strong>, formed in 2025 following the announcement of an upcoming merger between SWCRF and The Mark Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This initiative brings together a powerful multi-organization partnership that includes the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), with ACS providing early backing to help shape the 2025 Request for Proposals (RFP), and CRI co-funding an innovative research project focused on preventing age-dependent immune system dysfunction and tumor growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising Incidence of Cancer Due to Aging<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cancer is predominantly a disease of aging. Nearly 60 percent of all cancers and more than 70 percent of cancer-related deaths occur in people 65 and older. As life expectancy increases worldwide, cancer incidence is projected to rise sharply, with global cases expected to double by 2050, due in large part to aging populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur mission is grounded in a simple but urgent idea: understanding aging processes is essential to conquering cancer,\u201d said Samuel Waxman, MD, founder of SWCRF and director of the Waxman Institute. \u201cBy funding scientists who are rethinking cancer through the lens of aging, we are working toward an ultimate goal of healthier, longer lives with less cancer risk as we age.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the strong link between aging and cancer, most research models and clinical trials have historically focused on younger populations, leaving major gaps in understanding how aging biology influences cancer risk, progression, recurrence and treatment response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Waxman Institute was created to help close this gap,\u201d said Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD, CEO of The Mark Foundation. \u201cBy bringing together world-class investigators and supporting them through a highly focused, collaborative model, we aim to reshape how cancer is prevented and treated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Aging & Cancer Awards<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The five projects below were carefully selected following a competitive request for proposals (RFP) issued in 2025 that included a rigorous peer review process. Each multidisciplinary team will receive $500,000 over three years, starting in January 2026. To learn more about these awards, visit: www.waxmaninstitute.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n