Blog

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

World’s top cancer experts, entrepreneurs join the National Foundation for Cancer Research in celebrating 50 years of breakthroughs, new cutting-edge approaches for the next 50 years of cures

Rockville, Md. (September 12, 2023) – Now celebrating its 50th Anniversary, the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) will unite the world’s leading cancer researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs, and biotech leaders for its 2023 Global Summit and Award Ceremonies for Cancer Research & Entrepreneurship on Saturday, October 21st, 2023 at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C.  

Co-founded in 1973 by Nobel Prize recipient Albert Szent-Györgyi, M.D., Ph.D. and Franklin Salisbury, Sr., NFCR provides scientists in the lab with the funding they need to make breakthrough discoveries, and ultimately, find cures to cancer, with an emphasis on long-term transformative research often overlooked by other major funding sources.  

Over the last 50 years, NFCR’s high-risk, high-impact funding model and unique collaborative research process has paved the way for innovative targeted therapies and prevention strategies that continue to improve and save the lives of patients today, from scientific discoveries that led to breakthrough cancer drugs like Avastin® to the creation of GBM AGILE, the world’s first global adaptive clinical trial system for brain cancer.

“Our Global Summit fosters critical collaborations between the world’s top cancer scientists, clinicians, biotech leaders, and entrepreneurs that not only accelerate research breakthroughs but speed the advancement of important laboratory discoveries to reach patients’ bedsides,” said Dr. Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., president and CEO of NFCR. “The crucial discoveries generated through this collaborative approach and continued support from our donors over the past 50 years have transformed our understanding of cancer, and revolutionized the way we approach treating, and ultimately finding cures, for all types of this disease.” Dr. Ba is also the co-founder of the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund, a translational research and impact-investment affiliate of NFCR, and founder of the Asian Fund for Cancer Research (AFCR).

Now in its third year, NFCR’s daylong 2023 Global Summit will begin with an opening keynote delivered by 2018 Nobel Prize recipient and winner of the 2014 Szent-Gyorgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research, James P. Allison, Ph.D., followed by panel discussions focused on new approaches to cancer treatments, precision medicine, cancer biology, and more.   

As part of the afternoon’s ‘Luncheon Award Ceremony for Women’s Leadership & Entrepreneurship,’ Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), will be honored with the 2023 AIM-HI Beacon Award for Women Leaders in Oncology for her leadership and contributions in transforming data infrastructure for clinical research, launching groundbreaking efforts in cancer prevention and early detection, and spearheading clinical trials that have shaped cancer treatment protocols worldwide. A world-renowned surgical oncologist, cancer researcher, educator, and physician-leader, Dr. Bertagnolli was nominated by President Biden in May 2023 to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

Recipients of the 2023 AIM-HI Women’s Venture Competition, a first-of-its-kind program that provides funding, coaching and networking opportunities to women-led oncology start-ups, will also be honored during the Luncheon Award Ceremony.

NFCR’s 50th Anniversary Global Summit will conclude with the Szent-Györgyi Prize Dinner and Award Ceremony, which will honor cancer research pioneer Isaac P. Witz, Ph.D. with the esteemed 2023 Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research for his trailblazing work in the tumor microenvironment (TME) field. 

Award-winning journalist, cancer survivor, and host of WUSA-9’s Great Day Washington, Kristen Berset-Harris, will serve as the evening’s master of ceremonies.

Click here to reserve your tickets for the 2023 Global Summit and Award Ceremonies for Cancer Research & Entrepreneurship on Saturday, October 21st, 2023 at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C.   

The 2023 Global Summit will also be livestreamed via NFCR’s Oncology Metaverse and on the NFCR YouTube channel starting at 8:30 a.m. ET 

All net proceeds from this event, which is open to the public, will support NFCR’s leading-edge cancer research programs. Donate now to accelerate breakthroughs in cancer research.  

Inquiries regarding sponsorship of this event can be made by e-mail at Sponsorship@nfcr.org or by phone at 1-800-321-CURE (2873).

About the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund

The AIM-HI Accelerator Fund (AIM-HI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2019 with an initial capacity building grant from the National Foundation for Cancer Research to accelerate the translation of cancer drug discoveries by investing in seed-stage oncology companies. AIM-HI Accelerator Fund is bridging the gap between innovative cancer discoveries and high-impact cancer treatments and technologies. To learn more about AIM-HI Accelerator Fund, visit AIM-HIAccelerator.org.

About the Beacon Award for Women Leaders in Oncology 

Established in 2022 by the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund, a translational research and impact-investment affiliate of the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR), the Beacon Award recognizes outstanding women leaders in the health and life sciences industry who have made a significant impact on advancing and advocating cancer treatment, detection, and diagnosis for patients around the world.

About the Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research

The Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research was established in 2006 by the National Foundation for Cancer Research in honor of its co-founder, Albert Szent-Györgyi, M.D., Ph.D., recipient of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine. The award recognizes outstanding scientists whose seminal discovery or pioneering body of work has contributed to cancer prevention, diagnosis, or treatment and has had a lasting impact on understanding cancer, holding the promise of improving or saving the lives of cancer patients.