What Advancium Health Network does

Advancium Health Network is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in February 2022 by Deerfield Management and the Deerfield Foundation, headquartered at 345 Park Avenue South, New York. It operates a hybrid philanthropy/venture model that combines for-profit infrastructure with nonprofit ideals to develop pediatric medical devices and drug therapies for rare diseases and childhood cancers, populations underserved by traditional commercial development. The organization's primary serving populations are children with rare diseases, pediatric cancers (including retinoblastoma), and congenital disorders such as functional single ventricle defects.

The platform is organized around CobiCure (the nonprofit operating subsidiary), which houses CobiCure MedTech (pediatric medical devices) and CobiCure Therapeutics (pediatric drug development), supplemented by Cure Innovation Labs (a life sciences incubator at the Cure campus), the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Laboratory, and the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Accelerator. Operational programs include the CobiCure Fellowship for Pediatric MedTech Innovation (run jointly with five FDA Pediatric Device Consortiums and Stanford Biodesign), an exclusive option agreement with Aileron Therapeutics for ALRN-6924 in retinoblastoma, and parallel preclinical studies on ASHA-624 (a SARM1 inhibitor from Asha Therapeutics and Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital) for Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy. The network has 500+ entity affiliations spanning pharma, academia, children's hospitals, and federal agencies.

Advancium does not sell products or services; its revenue model is philanthropic, funded by charitable donations, foundation grants, and individual giving (including via the Zeffy donation platform), with no commercial pricing. To date, the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation has provided $40M across two grants ($30M in October 2022 and $10M in July 2025). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, exemplified by the inaugural CobiCure Impact Series in February 2026 in New York, designed to convene scientists, investors, clinicians, and advocates. Leadership transitioned in December 2025 with Michele Cleary, PhD, appointed CEO, succeeding Mark Veich.

Name

Advancium Health Network

Legal name

Advancium Health Network

Website

https://advanciumhealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Advancium Health Network is a 501(c)(3) public charity, founded in 2022 by Deerfield Management and the Deerfield Foundation, that develops pediatric medical devices and drug therapies for rare diseases and childhood cancers through a hybrid venture-philanthropy model spanning CobiCure, Cure Innovation Labs, and the Frankel Laboratory and Accelerator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Healthcare Nonprofit Innovation

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Chronic Disease & Health Promotion Program Funding (HLAJALAJ), Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

Keywords

• Pediatric medical devices
• Rare disease therapeutics
• Nonprofit healthcare innovation
• Venture philanthropy
• Clinical development

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations and Grants: Advancium operates as a 501(c)(3) public charity funded through charitable donations, foundation grants, and philanthropic support. The organization does not generate revenue through product sales but relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and mission-aligned partners to fund its operations and pediatric healthcare initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Advancium Health Network is a mission-driven public charity that funds, de-risks, and accelerates the development of pediatric medical devices and drug therapies for underserved patient populations, particularly children with rare diseases and pediatric cancers. Through its subsidiaries (CobiCure, CobiCure MedTech, CobiCure Therapeutics) and innovation hub (Cure Innovation Labs), the organization provides grants, infrastructure, and expertise to advance early-stage research from proof-of-concept toward clinical development.

Product overview

Advancium Health Network is a mission-driven public charity that operates as a platform combining for-profit infrastructure with non-profit ideals. The core organization oversees multiple subsidiaries and programs: CobiCure (parent nonprofit company) which branches into CobiCure MedTech (pediatric medical devices) and CobiCure Therapeutics (pediatric drug development); Cure Innovation Labs (life sciences incubator); the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Laboratory (research facility); and the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Accelerator (clinical development accelerator). The network also includes the CobiCure Fellowship for Pediatric MedTech Innovation, a training program operated in collaboration with FDA Pediatric Device Consortiums. This multi-entity structure enables Advancium to forge bonds between industry partners, experts, and philanthropic supporters to develop pediatric medical devices and drug therapies for underserved populations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CobiCure: A nonprofit company of Advancium Health Network committed to addressing critical gaps in pediatric healthcare by accelerating the development of innovative medical devices and treatments for childhood cancers and diseases.
• CobiCure MedTech
• CobiCure Therapeutics
• Cure Innovation Labs

Products and services

• Advancium Health Network Mission-driven public charity pioneering a unique model combining for-profit infrastructure with non-profit ideals; oversees subsidiaries and programs that develop pediatric medical devices and drug therapies for underserved patient populations.
• CobiCure Nonprofit subsidiary of Advancium Health Network committed to addressing critical gaps in pediatric healthcare by accelerating the development of innovative medical devices and treatments for childhood cancers and rare diseases using a venture philanthropy model.
• CobiCure MedTech Pediatric medical device development division focused on reimagining pediatric medical device development to transform lives; de-risks pediatric technologies from lab to clinic.
• CobiCure Therapeutics Pediatric drug development and therapeutics division reimagining pediatric drug development; focuses on early-stage therapeutics for pediatric cancers and rare diseases.
• Cure Innovation Labs Life sciences innovation hub providing specialized equipment and resources to support early-stage companies through research, development, regulatory, and commercial milestones.
• Maxine and Stuart Frankel Accelerator Dedicated accelerator established with $10M grant to fast-track pediatric clinical development of medical devices and therapies for childhood cancer and rare diseases.
• CobiCure Fellowship for Pediatric MedTech Innovation Fellowship program providing specialized training and mentorship to innovators focused on pediatric care, operated in collaboration with five FDA Pediatric Device Consortiums and Stanford Biodesign.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported advancement of up to 8 experimental life science projects per year over 10 years through Frankel Foundation funding
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Springhood VenturesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026John Parker, Founder and Managing Director at Springhood Ventures, participated in CobiCure's Impact Series panel discussing investment models for pediatric innovation and the role of philanthropy and mission-aligned capital.
• St. Jude Children's Research HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Charlie Roberts, Cancer Center Director and Executive Vice President at St. Jude, participated in CobiCure's Impact Series panel on overcoming barriers to pediatric innovation, sharing expertise on adaptive trial designs and centralized IRBs.
• Royalty PharmamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Brienne Kugler, Senior Vice President at Royalty Pharma (with $11B+ in royalty transactions experience), delivered a keynote at CobiCure's Impact Series on industry and nonprofit collaboration in life sciences.
• Asha TherapeuticsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Advancium awarded grants to fund preclinical studies of ASHA-624, Asha's novel first-in-class SARM1 inhibitor molecule glue, for Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA) research. One study led by Asha evaluates the molecule in a different ADOA mouse model.
• Harvard Medical School / Boston Children's HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Advancium funding supports research led by Dr. Thomas Schwarz and Dr. Chen Ding at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital to test pharmacological inhibition of SARM1 in an ADOA mouse model.
• Aileron TherapeuticsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Entered exclusive option agreement in October 2024 for Advancium to acquire ALRN-6924, a clinical-stage oncology agent, for evaluation as a potential therapy for retinoblastoma (a rare pediatric eye cancer). Advancium paid a non-refundable fee for the exclusive option.
• ARPA-H Investor Catalyst HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Advancium was selected as a spoke member of the ARPA-H Investor Catalyst Hub in September 2024. The hub, managed by VentureWell and based in Greater Boston, utilizes a hub-and-spoke model to reach nonprofits and Minority-Serving Institutions to deliver scalable healthcare outcomes.
• FDA Pediatric Device Consortiums (5 PDCs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024CobiCure launched its Fellowship Program in collaboration with five FDA Pediatric Device Consortiums: Midwest Pediatric Device Consortium (Nationwide Children's Hospital), Southwest-Midwest National Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium (Baylor/Texas Children's), UCSF-Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium, Alliance for Pediatric Device Innovation (Children's National), and The Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics (Lurie Children's).
• Stanford BiodesignmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Partner supporting the CobiCure Fellowship for Pediatric MedTech Innovation, providing needs-based device innovation expertise and training to fellows in the program.
• CobiCure (Nonprofit Subsidiary)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022A not-for-profit company of Advancium Health Network launched in June 2022, focused on curing rare, life-threatening diseases in children using a venture philanthropy model. CobiCure identifies, develops, and commercializes medical devices, therapies, and technologies for pediatric patients.
• Cure Innovation LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA life sciences innovation hub launched by Advancium in February 2022 at the Cure healthcare innovation campus in New York City. Provides specialized equipment and resources to support early-stage companies through research, development, regulatory, and commercial milestones.
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYung S. Lie, President and CEO of Damon Runyon, serves on Advancium's Board of Directors. Damon Runyon has invested over $490 million in supporting exceptional early-career investigators to accelerate breakthroughs in cancer research.
• We Will CureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator in Advancium's network, working together to advance healthcare innovation for underserved patient populations.
• Break into the BoardroomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiversity program created by Deerfield Management, empowering women seeking boardroom seats across the healthcare industry. Advancium inherited this initiative to address gender and racial gaps in healthcare and financial services industries.
• VentureWellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages the ARPA-H Investor Catalyst Hub. Advancium's spoke membership provides access to potential funding, flexible contracting, networking opportunities, and input on ARPA-H challenge areas.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD): A 501(c)(3) advocacy and research-funder umbrella organization for the ~7,000+ rare diseases affecting ~30M Americans. Operates a research grant program and patient registry infrastructure comparable to Advancium's funding of rare-disease programs (e.g., ASHA-624 for ADOA).
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: A cancer research nonprofit funding translational and clinical research across many cancer types, including pediatric. Comparable in operating model (grantmaking + research acceleration) and donor-driven funding structure, though broader in disease scope than Advancium.
• Mark Foundation for Cancer Research: A cancer research nonprofit founded in 2017 that funds high-impact, early-stage oncology science. Michele Cleary (now Advancium CEO) was its founding CEO, evidencing a direct organizational lineage and overlapping mission of accelerating translational cancer research through philanthropic capital.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: A pediatric cancer-focused 501(c)(3) that funds early-stage research, clinical trials, and researcher training for childhood cancers. Overlaps directly with Advancium's CobiCure Therapeutics mission of advancing pediatric oncology treatments and addresses the same orphan-market failure.
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation: A cancer research nonprofit that has invested over $490M in early-career investigators to accelerate breakthroughs. Its President/CEO Yung Lie sits on Advancium's board, evidencing direct overlap in mission and operating model around de-risking early-stage cancer science.
• Stand Up To Cancer: A charitable program funding collaborative, translational cancer research teams including pediatric cancer "Dream Teams." Comparable in mission of accelerating high-risk cancer research through philanthropic capital and in convening cross-sector coalitions.
• Children's Tumor Foundation: A 501(c)(3) dedicated to ending neurofibromatosis through research, drug development, and patient support, with a heavy pediatric focus. Comparable in funding early-stage research for a specific rare pediatric disease and in building networks across academia, industry, and clinical sites.
• Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health: A 501(c)(3) supporting pediatric and obstetric care at Stanford's children's hospital, funding research, clinical programs, and innovation. Comparable in pediatric health grantmaking and in direct partnership with academic medical centers that drive translational research pipelines.
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and accelerates drug development for a single rare disease population (cystic fibrosis patients, many pediatric). It pioneered the venture philanthropy model that Advancium explicitly mirrors, taking royalty interests in funded therapies and reinvesting proceeds, making it the closest direct comparability peer.

Broad incumbents

• Deerfield Foundation: The co-founding 501(c)(3) of Advancium and broader healthcare-focused philanthropy. Deerfield Foundation has been investing in children's health since 2007 across multiple programs, providing organizational DNA and ecosystem access that directly shape Advancium's model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advancium-health-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advancium Health Network