Colorectal Cancer Alliance launches Project Cure CRC

Largest Fund in Alliance History Aims to Ignite Innovative Treatments to Eradicate the Disease

In a critical step forward in the mission to end colorectal cancer (CRC), the nation’s leading CRC nonprofit organization, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance), announces the establishment of Project Cure CRC. The initiative reflects the Alliance’s renewed effort to fund tens of millions of dollars in expedited, novel colorectal cancer research over the next two years. The first $1.6 million of the substantially larger investment will fund innovative work by Raghu Kalluri, M.D., Ph.D. at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, which aims to rapidly develop urgently needed therapeutic options for the 96% of colorectal cancer patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) disease who currently have limited options. Significant financial resources are available through Project Cure CRC that will allow the Alliance to support a multitude of similar studies.

To ignite cutting-edge research ideas and efforts, the Alliance will host its first-ever Cure CRC Summit, convening the nation’s top colorectal cancer scientists in Miami from December 13-15. Summit co-chairs include Scott Kopetz, M.D. from MD Anderson, Christopher Lieu, M.D. from the University of Colorado Cancer Center, and John Marshall, M.D. from the Ruesch Center at Georgetown University, as well as Alliance board member Yekaterina Chudnovsky and Alliance CEO Michael Sapienza. 

With this bold and urgent undertaking, the Alliance seeks to create major breakthroughs in colorectal cancer diagnosis, treatment, metastasis, and survivorship. Project Cure CRC resources will support investigators dedicated to colorectal cancer research and will help fuel leading-edge studies, clinical trials, and collaborations to drive progress toward more effective and personalized treatments for colorectal cancer patients. The fund will catapult a radical new endeavor aimed at discovering innovative advancements and ultimately a cure for the disease.

“We are in a race against time to help the millions of Americans and their families affected by colorectal cancer,” says Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. “The goals of Project Cure CRC are to bring a sense of urgency to colorectal cancer research, fund the best science, accelerate life-saving clinical trials, and influence more public and private partnerships to support research that helps eradicate this disease.”

Colorectal cancer is the nation’s second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women combined, and the disease is on the rise in younger generations. Researchers predict colorectal cancer will become the leading cause of cancer death in men and women ages 20-49 within the next decade. However, it remains less known and less funded than other cancers. For comparison, breast cancer, which has benefited greatly from major funding that contributed to significant research advancements, has a five-year survival rate of 30%, whereas the five-year survival rate for colorectal cancer is drastically lower at only 13%. To achieve similar strides and advancements, the Alliance is reinvigorating its mission to end colorectal cancer with the launch of Project Cure CRC. 

“Through accelerated collaborative efforts and dedicated research funding, we have the potential to conquer colorectal cancer,” says John Marshall, M.D., Board Member and Scientific Co-Chair, Project Cure CRC, Physician Executive Director, Medstar Washington D.C. Integrated Hematology Oncology Division, and Director, The Ruesch Center for the Cure of GI Cancer. “The launch of this initiative marks a significant step forward in improving the lives of those impacted by the second deadliest cancer in the United States.”

The Alliance, the largest organization dedicated to ending colorectal cancer, invites the public, corporations, foundations, and philanthropic individuals to join our mission by contributing to Project Cure CRC. In addition, the Alliance seeks new ideas for mCRC research with special attention given to immunotherapy-based studies and research focused on BRCA1, BRAF, TP53, TME, and associated pathway genes. 

For more information on Project Cure CRC, to donate, or to learn more about submitting a research proposal please visit ccalliance.org/research/Project-Cure-CRC.

About the Colorectal Cancer Alliance

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance empowers a nation of passionate and determined allies to prevent, treat, and overcome colorectal cancer in their lives and communities. We advocate for prevention, magnify support, and accelerate research to end this disease. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Alliance is the largest national nonprofit dedicated to colorectal cancer, and we exist to end this disease in our lifetime. For more information, visit colorectalcancer.org.

Media Contact

Emily Blasi
eblasi@ccalliance.org
(202) 971-9964