Friends of Cancer Research

What Friends of Cancer Research does

Friends of Cancer Research is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1996 and headquartered in Washington, DC. It functions as an independent advocacy and research-coordination body that convenes the FDA, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic researchers, and patient advocates to accelerate oncology drug development. Its core work spans three areas: (1) research partnerships that generate scientific evidence, including the Digital PATH project for AI computational pathology validation, ai.RECIST for standardized tumor response assessment, ctMoniTR for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) endpoints, the ECA Pilot for real-world data external control arms, and the VALID Framework for AI-extracted real-world data quality; (2) policy initiatives covering cell and gene therapies, clinical trial eligibility criteria, interim overall survival interpretation, Lung-MAP, and tolerability and dosing; and (3) patient advocacy resources, including the ProgressforPatients.org platform and a Spanish-language counterpart, Progreso para Pacientes.

The organization operates as a non-commercial entity and does not sell products or services. Its revenue model relies on charitable donations from individuals and foundations (Tax ID 52-1983273) combined with corporate partnerships governed by a published Corporate Partnerships Policy; specific financial terms and total revenue are not publicly disclosed. Strategic partners include the FDA, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Flatiron Health, BostonGene, and a consortium of major pharmaceutical companies (AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline).

The organization is led by CEO Jeff Allen and Chair/Founder Ellen Sigal, with a small staff of 11-50 employees. Distribution and stakeholder engagement occur through the website, peer-reviewed publications, working groups, an Annual Meeting, the Cancer Leadership Awards, webinars, social media (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube), and an advocacy newsletter. The organization celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2026, underscoring long-tenured institutional credibility in regulatory science and oncology policy.

Name

Friends of Cancer Research

Legal name

Friends of Cancer Research

Website

https://focr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Friends of Cancer Research is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that convenes the FDA, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and patient advocates to advance oncology regulatory science through evidence-generating research partnerships, policy initiatives, and patient advocacy platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oncology Research Advocacy and Policy

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM), Oncology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAA)

Keywords

• Cancer research advocacy
• Regulatory science policy
• Oncology drug development
• Patient advocacy resources
• Biomedical research collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Friends of Cancer Research relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and supporters. The organization accepts donations through its website and has a stated tax ID number (52-1983273) for charitable contributions.
2. Corporate Partnerships: The organization maintains a Policy on Corporate Partnerships indicating engagement with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for research collaborations and initiatives. These partnerships provide funding and collaborative support for research projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Friends of Cancer Research operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit coordinating center that convenes FDA, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic researchers, and patient advocates to advance oncology drug development and regulatory policy. Its core deliverables are multi-stakeholder research partnerships (ai.RECIST, ctMoniTR, Digital PATH, ECA Pilot), policy initiatives (Cell & Gene Therapies, Clinical Trial Eligibility, Interim OS, Lung-MAP, Tolerability & Dosing), and analysis tools (Drug Development Dashboards, Breakthrough Therapies Search) that generate scientific evidence to modernize regulatory frameworks and accelerate patient access to cancer treatments.

Product overview

Friends of Cancer Research is a non-profit organization that serves as a coordinating center for research partnerships and policy initiatives in oncology. The organization operates a portfolio of research partnerships including ai.RECIST, ctMoniTR, Digital PATH, and ECA Pilot projects that generate evidence to advance oncology approaches. Additionally, it maintains policy initiatives covering Cell & Gene Therapies, Clinical Trial Eligibility Criteria, Interim OS, Lung-MAP, and Tolerability & Dosing. The organization provides analysis tools including Drug Development Dashboards and Breakthrough Therapies Search for tracking oncology drug approvals. The organization also runs advocacy platforms including ProgressforPatients.org and Progreso para Pacientes, and organizes events such as the Annual Meeting and Cancer Leadership Awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ai.RECIST Project AI-based project focused on RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) assessment for evaluating tumor response in cancer clinical trials; offered as a research partnership initiative for regulators, industry sponsors, and academic researchers.
• ctMoniTR Project Project utilizing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as an early endpoint in solid tumor drug trials to support regulatory decision-making; offered as a research partnership initiative.
• Digital PATH Project Project evaluating agreement across AI-based digital and computational pathology platforms for biomarker assessments such as HER2 scoring in breast cancer; offered as a research partnership initiative.
• ECA Pilot External Control Arm pilot project focused on leveraging real-world data for external control arms in cancer research; offered as a research partnership initiative.
• Cell & Gene Therapies Initiative Policy and regulatory initiative addressing emerging challenges in cell and gene therapy development; offered as a policy initiative for regulators and industry.
• Clinical Trial Eligibility Criteria Initiative Initiative focused on modernizing clinical trial eligibility criteria to expand patient access and improve trial design; offered as a policy initiative.
• Interim OS Project Project addressing interpretation of interim overall survival data for decision-making in oncology drug development; offered as a policy initiative.
• Lung-MAP Lung Cancer Master Protocol initiative for streamlined drug development in lung cancer; offered as a policy initiative.
• Tolerability & Dosing Initiative Initiative focused on modernizing tolerability and dosing approaches in oncology clinical trials; offered as a policy initiative.
• Drug Development Dashboards Interactive analysis tools for analyzing data and trends on oncology drug approvals.
• Breakthrough Therapies Search Interactive database for searching and analyzing breakthrough therapy designations in oncology.
• ProgressforPatients.org Patient-facing advocacy website providing resources and information for cancer patients.
• Progreso para Pacientes Spanish-language patient advocacy platform for cancer patients, providing bilingual resources equivalent to ProgressforPatients.org.
• Cancer Leadership Awards Annual awards event recognizing leadership in cancer research and oncology.
• Annual Meeting Annual conference bringing together stakeholders across healthcare to advance cancer research and policy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% consensus among AI models on HER2 3+ assessments in Digital PATH Project study
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• FDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Ongoing engagement with FDA representatives including Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas. Discussions focus on regulatory clarity for rare disease therapies, innovative clinical trial approaches, and enhanced public engagement. Jeff Allen, CEO of Friends of Cancer Research, described meetings as constructive.
• Iovance BiotherapeuticsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 April 2026Iovance Biotherapeutics senior executive participated in a major panel organized by Friends of Cancer Research and the Parker Institute on May 6. The event addressed flexible approaches for innovation in cancer immunotherapy.
• Flatiron HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Collaborative pilot project with Flatiron Health highlighting the importance of high-quality real-world data for external-control arms in cancer research. The partnership supports validation of AI-extracted real-world data quality using the VALID Framework.
• Parker Institute for Cancer ImmunotherapycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026Friends of Cancer Research and the Parker Institute co-host public discussions and panels on topics including cell therapy development and immunotherapy innovation. The partnership convenes FDA and industry stakeholders to address regulatory flexibility in early-phase clinical development of oncology products.
• BostonGenecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Collaboration on landmark blinded, multi-vendor HER2 benchmarking study published in Modern Pathology. The study validated BostonGene's AI foundation model for tumor and immune biology across 10 AI models for HER2 expression assessment in breast cancer.
• AstraZenecasupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Pharmaceutical company supporting the HER2 benchmarking study conducted in collaboration with Friends of Cancer Research and BostonGene. One of five pharmaceutical companies supporting the validation study.
• Bristol Myers SquibbsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Pharmaceutical company supporting the HER2 benchmarking study conducted in collaboration with Friends of Cancer Research and BostonGene. One of five pharmaceutical companies supporting the validation study.
• AmgensupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Pharmaceutical company supporting the HER2 benchmarking study conducted in collaboration with Friends of Cancer Research and BostonGene. One of five pharmaceutical companies supporting the validation study.
• MercksupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Pharmaceutical company (Merck & Co.) supporting the HER2 benchmarking study conducted in collaboration with Friends of Cancer Research and BostonGene. One of five pharmaceutical companies supporting the validation study.
• GlaxoSmithKlinesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Pharmaceutical company supporting the HER2 benchmarking study conducted in collaboration with Friends of Cancer Research and BostonGene. One of five pharmaceutical companies supporting the validation study.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• LUNGevity Foundation: LUNGevity is a disease-specific cancer nonprofit focused on lung cancer research, policy, and patient advocacy. It is comparable to Friends of Cancer Research as a single-disease nonprofit, but with a narrower therapeutic focus (lung cancer).

Emerging players

• Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI): PICI is a nonprofit that convenes leading immunotherapy researchers and pharma partners to accelerate cell therapy and immuno-oncology development. It is a direct strategic partner of Friends of Cancer Research (co-hosting public discussions) and operates in an overlapping niche.

Others

• Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH): FNIH manages public-private partnerships that advance biomedical research, including regulatory science initiatives. It is comparable to Friends of Cancer Research in convening pharma, FDA, and academic stakeholders around clinical research frameworks.

Direct peers

• Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C): SU2C is a nonprofit that funds collaborative, multi-institutional cancer research teams. It shares Friends of Cancer Research's convening-based model, focus on accelerating therapies, and reliance on corporate/pharma sponsorship.
• Cancer Research Institute (CRI): CRI is a nonprofit that funds and convenes immunotherapy research, including clinical trial networks and translational science programs. It is comparable to Friends of Cancer Research as a disease-focused nonprofit with a research-grant and policy-advocacy model.
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR): AACR is the largest professional cancer research organization, convening scientists, clinicians, and advocates to advance oncology. Like Friends of Cancer Research, AACR drives regulatory science, publishes peer-reviewed work, and influences policy through working groups and annual meetings — though at significantly greater scale.

Broad incumbents

• National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN): NCCN is an alliance of leading cancer centers that develops clinical practice guidelines and influences payer/regulatory decisions. It is comparable to Friends of Cancer Research in shaping oncology standards, though focused on treatment guidelines rather than regulatory science.
• Biden Cancer Initiative / Cancer Moonshot: The federal Cancer Moonshot initiative coordinates cancer research, policy, and patient access programs across US government agencies. It overlaps with Friends of Cancer Research on policy advocacy and patient access, but operates at federal-government scale.
• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO): ASCO is the leading professional society for oncologists, setting clinical practice guidelines and convening stakeholders on cancer drug development. It overlaps with Friends of Cancer Research on regulatory engagement, biomarker validation, and clinical trial design but is broader in clinical scope.
• American Cancer Society (ACS): ACS is the largest US cancer-focused nonprofit, funding research, setting public health agendas, and running patient support programs. It is comparable to Friends of Cancer Research in mission and donor-funded model, but with substantially broader reach and resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CancerResrch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FriendsofCancerResea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-of-cancer-research
• Facebookfacebook.com/friends-of-cancer-research-1561444057411087

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Friends of Cancer Research