How NFCR Scientists Are Shaping the Future of Cancer Care at ASCO 2026
#ASCO26: Where Tomorrow’s Cancer Breakthroughs Take the Spotlight
The 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting starts this Friday, May 29, in Chicago. This event features new research and updates from top experts. The work presented at this meeting will lay the foundation for how cancer care can give patients the best chance of beating this disease.
NFCR is proud to see several of our supported researchers sharing their latest discoveries at this important event. Because of donors like you, these scientists can pursue bold ideas and bring hope to families facing cancer. Your generosity makes it possible for us to back promising research that leads to real progress and real impact for patients everywhere.
Their participation demonstrates NFCR’s continuing commitment to our donors and community by partnering with and advancing the most promising research.
Here are the NFCR-supported researchers featured at ASCO 2026:
Himisha Beltran
Affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School
Focus Area: Prostate Cancer
ASCO Role: Educational Session Speaker
Why It Matters: Dr. Beltran’s research uses circulating tumor cells from patients with aggressive prostate cancers to guide and develop more personalized treatments, bringing new hope for optimizing outcomes and longer survival.
Lisa Coussens
Affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University
Focus Area: Tumor Microenvironment, Melanoma
ASCO Role: Co-Author of Featured Work
Why it Matters: Dr. Coussens’ work is improving understanding of how tumors interact with the immune system, which is guiding patients into the right clinical trial and helping researchers develop more effective therapies for patients facing melanoma and other difficult cancers.
Aditya Bardia
Affiliation: UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Focus Area: Breast Cancer
ASCO Role: Co-Author of Featured Work
Why it Matters: Dr. Bardia’s research is advancing new treatment options, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for patients with hard-to-treat breast cancers, helping improve outcomes and expand hope for those with limited treatment options.
See also: Research Update: NFCR-Supported Scientists Advance Liquid Biopsy Technology.
Jessica Lin
Affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)
Focus Area: Lung Cancer
ASCO Role: Panelist, Co-Author of Featured Work
Why it Matters: Dr. Lin’s work focuses on ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to develop more effective and personalized treatments for patients with resistant mutations, giving them hope and improving the quality of their lives.
Massimo Cristofanilli
Affiliation: Weill Cornell Medicine
Focus Area: Breast Cancer, Combating Metastasis
ASCO Role: Co-Author of Featured Work
Why it Matters: Dr. Cristofanilli’s research using circulating tumor cells is helping scientists better understand how cancer spreads, with the goal of improving earlier detection of metastasis and developing more effective treatments for patients with advanced breast cancer.
Paul Ngheim
Affiliation: University of Washington
Focus Area: Skin Cancer
ASCO Role: Co-Author of Featured Work
Why it Matters: Dr. Nghiem’s work is helping improve treatment approaches, including immunotherapy for Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, offering new possibilities for patients facing limited options. (Note: Collaborator of Dr. Suzanne Topalian.)
Suzanne Topalian
Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Focus Area: Skin Cancer
ASCO Role: Co-Author of Featured Work
Why it Matters: Dr. Topalian’s pioneering immunotherapy research continues to help patients with Merkle cell carcinoma and other cancers benefit from treatments that empower the immune system to recognize and fight cancer more effectively. (Note: Collaborator of Dr. Paul Ngheim)
Christian Rolfo
Affiliation: The Ohio State University
Focus Area: Lung Cancer
ASCO Role: Presenter
Why it Matters: Dr. Rolfo’s research is making it possible to identify biomarkers in the blood of lung cancer patients, offering them more personalized treatments. This helps match therapies to each person’s unique cancer. His approach puts patients at the center of care, rather than the cancer.
If you would like to learn more about any of these breakthroughs, reach out to schedule a time with our team or visit the ASCO Annual Meeting event page.
Emerging Trends at ASCO 2026 to watch for:
- Precision Medicine Continues to Expand
- Researchers are now tailoring treatments more often to the genetic and molecular details of each patient’s cancer.
- Immunotherapy Is Evolving
- Scientists are working to improve immune-based treatments and find ways to overcome resistance.
- AI and Data-Driven Cancer Research
- Artificial intelligence and computational tools are helping researchers analyze cancer more efficiently and personalize care. This trend is a critical focus area for NFCR-supported research moving forward.
- Metastasis Research Remains Critical
- Learning how cancer spreads is still one of the top priorities for improving long-term survival.
- Earlier Detection and Biomarkers
- Research on liquid biopsy and biomarkers is creating new ways to find cancer earlier and track how treatments are working.
Coming Up: NFCR’s Global Summit and Award Ceremonies for Cancer Research & Entrepreneurship
ASCO highlights many of the year’s key scientific advances, and NFCR’s Global Summit keeps the conversation going by bringing together leaders to plan how to reach the meeting’s goals.
The Summit unites leading scientists, clinicians, innovators, and advocates from around the world to explore new discoveries, work together, and find better ways to help patients.
Many themes from ASCO 2026, such as precision medicine, immunotherapy, AI-driven cancer research, and metastasis research, will continue to drive discussion as the global cancer research community works toward new breakthroughs.
Stand With Science!
NFCR is helping shape the future of cancer research by funding bold, breakthrough-focused science that can improve and save lives.
NFCR-supported scientists are helping shape the next generation of cancer care through innovation, teamwork, and long-term research support, from precision medicine and immunotherapy to metastasis and AI-driven oncology.
Every breakthrough starts with research, and every discovery is made possible by supporters who believe cures are possible.
