Stanford leads three of the 12 teams shortlisted for the Cancer Grand Challenges, an international research initiative founded by the National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK to accelerate high-impact research and translate discoveries to benefit patients everywhere. Winning teams can be awarded up to $25 million.
Stanford Cancer Institute members Christina Curtis, PhD, Nathanael Gray, PhD, and Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, are the principal investigators (PI) of the shortlisted teams.
Curtis leads SENTINEL, a project that aims to develop a human–artificial intelligence co-laboratory with the capability to create a virtual model of how colorectal cancer develops, predict which cells are likely to become cancerous and explain why, and better understand the role of diet and genetics in early colorectal cancer progression.
Of her team’s selection, she says, “This challenge is a true north star — not only for the impact it will have on patients and the fundamental discoveries it will enable, but also for the opportunity to showcase our team’s bold vision to transform how science is done. We are deeply honoured to be shortlisted.”
Gray is the PI for team NeoCircuit, which plans to rewire cancer cells by developing special chemicals that bring proteins into close proximity, resulting in new molecular functions that trigger cancer cells to self-destruct.
He describes his team’s goal as, “Our team is seeking ways to turn the molecular causes of cancer into cancer killers, effectively tricking cancer cells into self-destructing.”
Monje’s team, CoNNECTED, seeks to map whole-body neural circuits involved in cancer to understand how nerves connect to the immune system, how these nerve-immune interactions regulate cancer progression and immunotherapy, and the impact of cancer-associated depression, anxiety, and cognitive changes on tumor progression.
She says, “Our team shares the conviction that only the Cancer Grand Challenge approach will allow us to tackle and solve one of the most exciting current questions: how does the brain talk with cancer, and vice versa?”