Funded Research Grants
Supporting Innovative Research
The Alliance’s mission is to end colorectal cancer in our lifetime. By supporting innovative colorectal cancer research by top doctors and scientists, we take important steps toward realizing our vision — a world free of this disease.
Click on a type of research below to see who is using our funding to accelerate treatment, prevention, and a cure.
Research Focus: Prevention
Dr. Megan Hitchins, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Study Description: Dr. Megan Hitchins is developing a “minimally-invasive” blood-based screening test for the early detection of colorectal cancer in people under 50 years old. The team has developed assays capable of detecting ctDNA markers at potentially very low levels in blood, with the ultimate aim of producing a screening test that includes a panel of the best-performing ctDNA markers. This research has led to two papers and numerous grants, including a multi-million dollar grant from the National Cancer Institute.