SARC (Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration)

What SARC (Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration) does

SARC (Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit sarcoma cancer research consortium founded in 2003 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It operates a centralized research infrastructure that designs, sponsors, and coordinates multi-institutional Phase I, II, and III clinical trials across a network of nearly 90 medical centers with specialized sarcoma programs in the United States and internationally. SARC's core technology stack includes centralized clinical data management, a biospecimen bank, a clinical data repository, imaging resources, regulatory oversight including FDA IND filings, and a virtual multidisciplinary tumor board (SMTB) delivered through a partnership with OncoLens. Its portfolio of clinical and research services also encompasses a Sarcoma Centers Registry, the SARC Talk podcast, concept submission and trial design services for academic investigators, career development and travel awards for early-career researchers, and the Research Advocacy Council that embeds trained patient advocates in trial design and dissemination.

SARC serves three primary constituencies: sarcoma patients, families, and caregivers seeking expert care and clinical trial access; sarcoma researchers and clinicians needing multi-institutional collaboration infrastructure and biostatistics/budget support; and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that sponsor investigator-initiated trials and require a trusted academic consortium partner with established investigator networks and patient populations. Its deliverables to industry include protocol development, IND applications, multi-center site coordination, budget development, site monitoring, data management, manuscript preparation, and clinicaltrials.gov registration. SARC also partners with patient advocacy foundations such as Sara's Cure and the EHE Foundation to co-design trials for rare sarcoma subtypes (clear cell sarcoma, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma).

As a non-profit, SARC generates revenue through donations, grants, and pharmaceutical industry trial sponsorships rather than commercial product sales; it states that 100% of donations go directly to program initiatives, but it does not publicly disclose financial figures. Notable pharma partners include Merck (pembrolizumab supply for SARC028), Bayer (regorafenib supply for SARC024), and Eli Lilly (SARC041 abemaciclib Phase III). The organization is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Dr. Ernest "Chappie" Conrad III and led by President & CEO Steven Young, Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Jonathan Fletcher, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Scott Okuno.

Name

SARC (Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration)

Legal name

Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration

Website

https://sarctrials.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SARC is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2003 that coordinates multi-institutional Phase I–III sarcoma clinical trials across nearly 90 medical centers, serving sarcoma patients, academic researchers, and pharmaceutical/biotech sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sarcoma Cancer Research Services

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE)

Keywords

• Sarcoma clinical trials
• Cancer research consortium
• Clinical trial management
• Biospecimen banking
• Multidisciplinary tumor board

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SARC operates as a centralized research consortium sponsoring and coordinating multicenter Phase I, II, and III clinical trials for sarcoma across a network of nearly 90 medical centers. It provides end-to-end trial services including protocol development, FDA IND filings, data management, and biospecimen banking, alongside a virtual multidisciplinary tumor board and the Sarcoma Centers Registry that connects patients with expert sarcoma care worldwide.

Product overview

SARC (Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration) is a non-profit sarcoma cancer research consortium offering a coordinated portfolio of clinical research services. The core offerings include SARC-sponsored multicenter clinical trials (Phase I-III) across multiple sarcoma subtypes, the SARC Multidisciplinary Tumor Board for virtual case consultations, the SARC Talk educational podcast, clinical trial concept submission and trial design services, the Research Advocacy Council for patient engagement, funding programs including Career Development Awards and Brian Van Tine Early Career Travel Awards, and the Sarcoma Centers Registry. Together these services provide an integrated collaborative infrastructure for advancing sarcoma research from concept through clinical implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SARC Clinical Trials

Quantifiable outcome

• 33% of patients with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and dedifferentiated liposarcoma had tumor reduction in SARC028 pembrolizumab trial
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OncoLenscoreTechnology or IntegrationOncoLens and SARC launched a nationwide virtual sarcoma tumor board program through a strategic partnership. The OncoLens Virtual Tumor Board platform grants medical professionals across the country access to expert sarcoma insights, benefiting especially providers and patients with limited resources facing this rare cancer.
• ANZSA (Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerANZSA collaborates with SARC on the SARC032 clinical trial for soft tissue sarcoma, with three Australian sites currently running the trial (Peter MacCallum Cancer Center Melbourne, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse Sydney, Princess Alexandra Hospital Brisbane). This international collaboration enables cross-border accrual for this immunotherapy + radiotherapy study.
• Sara's CurecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSara's Cure partnered with SARC and Rafael Pharmaceuticals to launch a Phase 2 clinical trial of CPI-613 (devimistat) in combination with hydroxychloroquine for patients with clear cell sarcoma of soft tissue. Sara's Cure, founded by Lennie Woods after her daughter's diagnosis, helped identify patient need and contributed to trial design and advocacy.
• Rafael PharmaceuticalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRafael Pharmaceuticals partnered with SARC and Sara's Cure to conduct a Phase 2 trial of CPI-613 (devimistat) for clear cell sarcoma. Rafael provides the study drug and clinical development expertise, while SARC contributes trial design, correlative studies, site coordination, and academic network access.
• EHE FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EHE Foundation partnered with SARC for the SARC046 clinical trial evaluating nab-sirolimus in epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE). The foundation helped identify and embed a patient advocate within the study team, shaping trial design to reflect patient priorities and lived experiences.
• Merck & Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerck provided pembrolizumab (Keytruda) compound and partial financial support for the SARC028 Phase II clinical trial evaluating pembrolizumab in multiple sarcoma subtypes — the first investigator-led study of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in sarcoma.
• Bayer PharmaceuticalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayer provided regorafenib (Stivarga) drug and partial funding support for SARC024, an investigator-initiated trial evaluating regorafenib in refractory liposarcoma, osteogenic sarcoma, and Ewing sarcoma. The osteosarcoma cohort showed positive statistically significant progression-free survival results.
• Eli Lilly & Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEli Lilly provided funding support for SARC041, the Phase III trial of abemaciclib vs. placebo in advanced dedifferentiated liposarcoma. SARC041 was selected for the prestigious ASCO 2026 Plenary Session.
• PeerViewminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPeerView collaborated with SARC's SMTB on an educational webcast focused on dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS), featuring expert panelists Dr. Andrew Wagner and Dr. Neeta Somaiah. The webcast was designed to mimic tumor board discussion format for clinical education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NRG Oncology: NCI-sponsored cooperative group running multi-institutional oncology trials including sarcoma. NRG's sarcoma committee runs competing Phase II/III trials that overlap with SARC's portfolio, making it a relevant cooperative-group peer.
• Children's Oncology Group (COG): The world's largest pediatric cancer research organization, running multi-institutional clinical trials across all childhood cancers including sarcomas (a major COG focus). COG is the dominant incumbent pediatric clinical trial cooperative group, and SARC's pediatric sarcoma work overlaps with its scope.
• Conquer Cancer Foundation (ASCO Foundation): ASCO's research foundation funding oncology trials and career development awards. While broader in scope, it operates in the same oncology research funding and trials space as SARC and supports similar investigator career development initiatives.
• National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN): Alliance of 33 leading academic cancer centers that develops oncology treatment guidelines and conducts multi-institutional research. NCCN's sarcoma guidelines and center network overlap with SARC's Sarcoma Centers Registry and clinical trial scope.
• ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group: NCI-sponsored cooperative group running multi-center Phase I-III clinical trials across all cancer types. While broader than SARC, ECOG-ACRIN is a comparable multi-institutional trial sponsor in adult oncology including sarcoma, making it a relevant incumbent peer.

Emerging players

• Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA): Non-profit dedicated to sarcoma research funding, advocacy, and patient support. SFA is a peer in the sarcoma non-profit space but focuses more on grantmaking and awareness rather than trial sponsorship, making it an adjacent rather than directly competing organization.
• Translational Research in Oncology (TRIO): Global non-profit academic clinical trial organization conducting multi-institutional oncology trials with pharma partnerships. TRIO shares SARC's investigator-initiated trial model and pharma collaboration pattern but operates globally across multiple cancer types.
• Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative: Non-profit focused on sarcoma research funding and patient education. Operates in the same sarcoma advocacy and research-support space as SARC but with a grantmaking rather than trial-sponsorship model, making it a complementary peer.

Direct peers

• Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI): Non-profit consortium facilitating collaborative lung cancer research and multi-center clinical trials using a centralized infrastructure. ALCMI shares SARC's consortium model and Steven Young's prior leadership, making it a near-twin peer organization in oncology research structure.
• Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC): Disease-specific non-profit consortium coordinating multi-institutional clinical trials in multiple myeloma using a similar centralized research infrastructure model. Most directly comparable to SARC — SARC's own CEO Steven Young previously led MMRC, indicating a near-identical organizational template applied to a different rare cancer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sarctrials
• Facebookfacebook.com/Sarctrials
• Instagraminstagram.com/sarctrials
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sarc-sarcoma-alliance-for-research-through-collaboration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SARC (Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration)