BIG against breast cancer

What BIG against breast cancer does

BIG against breast cancer is a Brussels-headquartered, non-profit international academic research consortium founded in 1999 that coordinates large-scale breast cancer clinical trials across a global network of academic medical centers and partner cooperative groups. Its core activity is operational and governance support for ~12 active and legacy trials, including high-profile studies such as APHINITY, AURORA, OLYMPIA, MINDACT, ALTTO, NeoALTTO, PALLAS, ALEXANDRA/IMpassion030, BRAVO, EXPERT, Path-for-Young/Optima-young, and POSITIVE. The organization works through partnerships with pharmaceutical sponsors (Roche, Novartis, AstraZeneca, BCRF, Tesaro) and academic cooperative groups (EORTC, ABCSG, AFT, Unicancer, ETOP/IBCSG Partners Foundation, BCT-ANZ), providing protocol design input, site network coordination, and central operational oversight. There is no proprietary technology platform in the conventional software sense; the underlying asset is a coordinated trial infrastructure and accumulated institutional knowledge across 25+ years.

The business model is a non-profit funding model with three revenue streams: study-related income from pharma sponsors, grants and subsidies from research funders, and third-party fundraising. All three streams are described as declining, and fundraising is below the level required to sustain operations. The customer or beneficiary base is breast cancer patients enrolled in trials, with academic investigators and sponsor companies acting as operational counterparties rather than fee-paying customers.

On December 2, 2025, the Executive Board voted to close the organization by the end of 2026, citing financial pressures across all three revenue lines. The wind-down involves transferring the active trial portfolio to partner organizations and executing a managed cessation of operations. Headcount is stated at 11-50 employees.

Name

BIG against breast cancer

Legal name

Breast International Group (BIG)

Website

https://bigagainstbreastcancer.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BIG against breast cancer is a Brussels-based, non-profit international consortium founded in 1999 that coordinates multi-center breast cancer clinical trials across academic medical centers in partnership with pharma sponsors and cooperative groups. Operations are scheduled to cease by end of 2026 following a December 2025 closure decision.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Breast Oncology (HLAKAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Oncology (HLAKAFAB), Radiation Oncology (HLAKAFAC), Molecular Tumor Boards & Clinical Interpretation Services (HLAAANAD)

Keywords

• Clinical trial coordination
• Breast cancer research
• Academic research consortium
• Translational oncology research
• Clinical study management

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Study-related income: Revenue from coordinating clinical trials, funded by pharmaceutical company sponsors. However, this income has been declining according to the organisational update.
2. Grants and subsidies: Funding from research foundations and governmental/institutional research grants. These have been declining according to the organisational update.
3. Fundraising revenues: Donations and fundraising activities supporting breast cancer research. These revenues have been lower than required.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

BIG against breast cancer (Breast International Group) coordinates international academic breast cancer clinical trials and research programs through a global network of academic medical centers and investigator sites. It designs, sponsors, and manages multi-country studies evaluating HER2-targeted therapies, PARP inhibitors, CDK inhibitors, immunotherapy, genomic test-driven treatment decisions, radiation therapy risk profiling, and fertility preservation in breast cancer patients.

Product overview

BIG against breast cancer (Breast International Group) is an international academic breast cancer research organization that coordinates a portfolio of clinical trials and research programs. The organization is entering a wind-down phase with closure planned by end of 2026. Its product portfolio consists of twelve distinct clinical trials/research programs: APHINITY, AURORA, BRAVO, EXPERT, MINDACT, ALTTO, NeoALTTO, OLYMPIA, PALLAS, ALEXANDRA/IMpassion030, Path-for-Young/Optima-young, and POSITIVE. These studies focus on various aspects of breast cancer treatment including HER2-positive therapies, molecular screening, BRCA mutations, radiation therapy decisions, genomic testing, PARP inhibitors, CDK4/6 inhibitors, immunotherapy, and fertility preservation. Ongoing studies will continue with operational responsibilities transferred to partner organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• APHINITY
• AURORA
• BRAVO
• EXPERT
• MINDACT
• ALTTO
• NeoALTTO
• OLYMPIA
• PALLAS
• ALEXANDRA / IMpassion030
• Path-for-Young / Optima-young
• POSITIVE

Quantifiable outcome

• Contributed to landmark clinical trials that reshaped treatment standards and improved patient outcomes worldwide

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• RochemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoche serves as study sponsor for multiple BIG-coordinated clinical trials including APHINITY (BIG 4-11) and ALEXANDRA/IMpassion030 (BIG 16-05). Roche provides pharmaceutical sponsorship and funding for these clinical research programs evaluating pertuzumab and atezolizumab in breast cancer treatment.
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCRF co-sponsors the AURORA program (BIG 14.01), an international academic research programme using molecular screening technology to identify genetic changes in breast cancer tumors that drive disease evolution.
• Tesaro, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTesaro sponsored the BRAVO study (BIG 5-13), which compared the efficacy and safety of niraparib vs standard of care in patients with HER2-negative previously treated advanced/metastatic breast cancer with germline BRCA mutation.
• Breast Cancer Trials Australia New Zealand (BCT-ANZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCT-ANZ sponsors the EXPERT study (BIG 16-02), which aims to better analyze the risk profile of breast cancer tumors to identify which women could be spared radiation therapy treatment.
• EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEORTC sponsored the MINDACT study (BIG 04-03), a prospective randomized study comparing the 70-gene signature with clinical-pathological criteria in selecting patients for adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.
• NovartismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNovartis sponsored the ALTTO and NeoALTTO studies (BIG 2-06, BIG 1-06), investigating combining trastuzumab with lapatinib in HER2-positive early breast cancer treatment.
• AstraZenecamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAstraZeneca sponsored the OLYMPIA study (BIG 6-13), evaluating the safety, tolerability, and effect of post-surgery olaparib treatment in patients with germline mutated high-risk HER2 negative primary breast cancer.
• ABCSG (Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABCSG co-sponsored the PALLAS study (BIG 14-03), evaluating the treatment outcome and safety of adding palbociclib to standard adjuvant endocrine therapy for HR+/HER2- early breast cancer.
• AFT (Alliance Foundation Trials)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFT co-sponsored the PALLAS study (BIG 14-03) alongside ABCSG, evaluating palbociclib addition to standard adjuvant endocrine therapy.
• UnicancercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnicancer sponsors the Path-for-Young/Optima-young study (BIG 24-02), aiming to demonstrate whether genomic test-driven adjuvant chemotherapy decisions are as effective as standard of care in premenopausal women with hormone-sensitive primary breast cancer.
• ETOP/IBCSG Partners FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETOP/IBCSG Partners Foundation sponsors the POSITIVE study (BIG 08-13), evaluating the safety and feasibility of temporarily stopping adjuvant endocrine therapy to allow young women with early-stage breast cancer to become pregnant.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer): EORTC is a Europe-based non-profit academic cancer clinical trial coordination organisation that sponsored BIG's MINDACT study. It operates the same model of coordinating multinational academic oncology trials across investigator sites.
• NRG Oncology: NRG Oncology is a US-based non-profit academic clinical trials group coordinating multi-institution cancer research. It performs the same role of sponsoring and managing investigator-led oncology trials as BIG does internationally.
• Unicancer: Unicancer sponsors BIG's Path-for-Young / Optima-young study. It is a French academic research consortium coordinating oncology clinical trials across French hospital centres, sharing BIG's academic-coordinator business model.
• SWOG Cancer Research Network: SWOG is a US National Cancer Institute-sponsored academic clinical trials network running multi-institution oncology trials. It shares BIG's academic-coordinator business model and operates at similar scale in oncology research.
• ETOP/IBCSG Partners Foundation: ETOP/IBCSG is a non-profit academic research foundation that sponsors BIG's POSITIVE study. It independently coordinates international breast cancer clinical trials and shares the same academic-coordinator role in the breast cancer research community.
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF): BCRF co-sponsors BIG's AURORA programme and is a major breast cancer research funder. While primarily a grant-making foundation, its direct co-sponsorship of breast cancer research programmes makes it closely comparable in mission and activity.
• Breast Cancer Trials Australia and New Zealand (BCT-ANZ): BCT-ANZ sponsored BIG's EXPERT study and operates as a regional academic breast cancer clinical trials coordination group, closely comparable in mission and operating model.
• Alliance Foundation Trials (AFT): AFT co-sponsored BIG's PALLAS study. It is a non-profit academic research organisation coordinating multi-centre oncology clinical trials with a comparable investigator-network model.
• ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group: ECOG-ACRIN is a US-based NCI-sponsored academic clinical trials group coordinating large-scale multi-institution cancer treatment trials. It performs the same investigator-network coordination role for oncology research as BIG.
• ABCSG (Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group): ABCSG co-sponsored BIG's PALLAS study. It is a European academic research group coordinating breast and colorectal cancer clinical trials across investigator networks, with a comparable operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BIGagainstBC
• Facebookfacebook.com/BIGagainstbreastcancer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/breast-international-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about BIG against breast cancer