Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

What Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy does

Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is a nonprofit research institute founded in 2016 through a $250 million grant from Sean Parker via The Parker Foundation and incorporated as a California nonprofit public benefit corporation. PICI coordinates cancer immunotherapy research across a network of seven or more leading US cancer centers (Dana-Farber, Stanford, MD Anderson, Penn, Memorial Sloan Kettering, UCLA, UCSF, with Weill Cornell Medicine, Gladstone Institutes, City of Hope, Fred Hutchinson, Washington University, and Mount Sinai as affiliated members), engaging more than 1,000 investigators across 60+ labs and 40+ industry and nonprofit partners. The institute's mission is to develop immune therapies capable of turning all cancers into curable diseases, and it does so by funding high-risk research, sharing intellectual property across institutions, running clinical trials, and forming biotech ventures.

PICI's research portfolio spans cell therapies (CAR-T pioneered by Carl June at Penn, including SINATRA CRISPR gene-editing trials), checkpoint inhibitor biology built on the foundational discoveries of CTLA-4 and PD-1, cancer vaccines, microbiome-immunotherapy trials (Jennifer Wargo at MD Anderson), and AI-augmented diagnostics such as MANAscore (a three-gene panel ML tool for identifying tumor-reactive T cells developed at the Bloomberg Kimmel Institute) and the RADIOHEAD pan-cancer cohort using foundation models of the immune system. Technical platforms also include CyTOF mass cytometry (Garry Nolan) and Cornell Prime dots (C' dots) silica nanoparticles for prostate cancer. PICI's hybrid philanthropy and venture model has built a portfolio of 17 biotech ventures to commercialize discoveries and has raised more than $4 billion in cumulative capital. Recent moves include the $125 million Parker Foundation commitment in July 2024, the strategic integration with the Cancer Vaccine Coalition in April 2026, and an Innovative Cancer Medicines partnership in Nigeria launched in October 2025.

As a 501(c)(3), PICI has no product revenue or traditional pricing model. Its operating inflows come from philanthropic donations (anchored by The Parker Foundation), returns from its 17 biotech venture portfolio, and strategic partnership funding from pharmaceutical and biotech companies including Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche, and Regeneron-adjacent entities. Customer segments are therefore best framed as cancer patients (ultimate beneficiaries), academic investigators (direct recipients of grants and shared infrastructure), biotech and pharma partners (co-development counterparties), and philanthropic donors. PICI's GTM is event-driven: it advances science through ASCO and AACR presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and clinical milestones rather than product sales.

Name

Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

Legal name

The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

Website

https://www.parkerici.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nonprofit cancer immunotherapy research institute founded in 2016 that coordinates a network of 7+ leading US cancer centers, 1,000+ investigators, and 17 biotech ventures to accelerate breakthrough immune therapies for cancer patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Immunotherapy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Personalized Therapeutic Design (neoantigen vaccines, individualized cell/gene therapies) (HLAAANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Therapeutic Vaccines (cancer, chronic infection immunotherapy) (HLAAAEAB), Oncology Gene Therapies (incl. oncolytic vectors & gene-modified approaches) (HLAAACAF), AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening) (HLAAAIAE)

Keywords

• Cancer immunotherapy research
• Biomedical research network
• Clinical trial coordination
• Biotech venture formation
• Early career researcher grants

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic donations: PICI receives donations from individuals, foundations, and organizations to fund cancer immunotherapy research. Founded with a $250 million grant from Sean Parker and The Parker Foundation.
2. Biotech venture returns: PICI operates a hybrid philanthropy and VC model, building a portfolio of 17 biotech ventures. Revenue returns from successful ventures are reinvested into PICI's research priorities.
3. Strategic partnership funding: Funding from pharmaceutical and biotech industry partners for collaborative research projects and clinical trials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PICI coordinates cancer immunotherapy research across a national network of seven leading cancer centers and 40+ industry/nonprofit partners, funding high-risk high-reward science, supporting clinical trials (SINATRA), running pan-cancer cohort studies (RADIOHEAD), and forming biotech ventures to translate discoveries into treatments. It operates a hybrid philanthropy and venture capital model, providing shared intellectual property frameworks, AI-powered diagnostics (MANAscore), and early-career researcher awards to accelerate breakthrough immune therapies.

Product overview

The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy is a nonprofit research organization that does not offer a traditional software product or SaaS platform. Instead, PICI operates as a research consortium supporting cancer immunotherapy science through clinical trials (SINATRA Trial), large-scale cohort studies (RADIOHEAD), CAR-T and cell therapy research programs, and the MANAscore diagnostic tool. The institute also funds early career researchers and maintains a biotech venture portfolio to translate discoveries into treatments. These offerings are research programs and funding mechanisms, not commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SINATRA Trial A CRISPR gene-editing clinical trial for cancer treatment, representing PICI's flagship research program in engineered cellular therapies, conducted through PICI's network of cancer centers.
• RADIOHEAD Study A pan-cancer cohort study with multimodal immunoprofiling that develops foundation models of the immune system, presented at AACR 2026.
• CAR-T and Cell Therapy Research PICI's core research focus on chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies and engineered cell-based treatments for cancer, pioneered by Dr. Carl June and others in the network.
• MANAscore An AI-powered diagnostic tool that identifies rare tumor-reactive T cells using a simplified three-gene panel (CD39, CXCL13, and IL-7 receptor) to predict immunotherapy response. Developed at the Bloomberg Kimmel Institute.
• Early Career Researcher Awards Funding and support programs for early-career investigators pursuing cancer immunotherapy research, including Parker Scholar, Bridge Scholar, and Fellow awards. Over $23.5M has been awarded to 58 projects.
• Biotech Venture Portfolio PICI's portfolio of 17 biotech company investments and partnerships focused on commercializing cancer immunotherapy discoveries, with returns reinvested into PICI's research priorities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40-50% complete remissions in preclinical prostate cancer models with Cornell Prime dots combined with immunotherapy
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Friends of Cancer ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Collaborative panel addressing how smarter and more flexible approaches can propel innovation in cancer immunotherapy. PICI co-hosted discussion on flexibility in early-phase clinical development of cell therapy products with FDA.
• Cancer Vaccine CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026Strategic integration to accelerate cancer vaccine development and delivery. Cancer Vaccine Coalition founder Kristen Dahlgren joined PICI as Chief External Affairs Officer. The partnership aims to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and patient access.
• Conquer Cancer (ASCO)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026Collaboration to co-fund a Conquer Cancer Endowed Young Investigator Award providing $50,000 annual grant to early-career oncologists. The inaugural recipient was announced at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting.
• Weill Cornell MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Weill Cornell Medicine joined PICI's expanded network. Researchers published groundbreaking research on Cornell Prime dots nanoparticles for prostate cancer treatment at Cancer Research, demonstrating complete remissions in preclinical models.
• Gladstone InstitutescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Gladstone Institutes joined PICI's network with Alexander Marson as Director of the PICI Center. Research focuses on CRISPR genome engineering tools applied to primary immune cells for cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases.
• Sonoma BiotherapeuticsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Seattle and South San Francisco-based company co-founded by Fred Ramsdell focused on cell therapies for autoimmune conditions. Has partnership with Regeneron to co-develop treatments for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
• CHAI (Clinton Health Access Initiative)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Partnership for innovative cancer medicines initiative in Nigeria providing immunotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer patients. CHAI brings operational expertise for sustainable delivery of oncology therapies in low- and middle-income countries.
• Bristol Myers SquibbmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025BMS donates medication (nivolumab) and provides training as part of the ICM partnership in Nigeria. Collaboration demonstrates commitment to expanding immunotherapy access in resource-limited settings.
• RochemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Roche donates reagents for the ICM partnership in Nigeria focused on metastatic colorectal cancer. Partnership aims to generate evidence for scaling advanced immunotherapy within Nigeria's health system.
• Cancer Research InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2025Three-year collaboration with Cancer Research Institute and Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy to study glioblastoma using 562 tissue samples from children and adults.
• Xyphos BiosciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership to develop universal programmable CAR-T cells for cancer treatment. Xyphos is creating immune cells that can be programmed to strike multiple targets and even switch targets to outsmart cancer.
• Dana-Farber Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016One of PICI's seven founding research centers. Dana-Farber investigators focus on understanding the tumor immune microenvironment and developing next-generation cellular therapies. Elizabeth Mittendorf, Stephen Hodi, and Kai Wucherpfennig serve as PICI center co-directors.
• Stanford MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Stanford Medicine is a founding member of PICI's research network. Ansuman Satpathy serves as Co-Director of the PICI Center at Stanford. Researchers focus on T-cell therapies, CRISPR technology, and single-cell analysis tools.
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center is a founding PICI member. Antoni Ribas serves as Center Director focusing on T-cell therapies and immunotherapy resistance. Research includes bispecific CAR-T development and colorectal cancer genetics.
• University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016UCSF is a founding member with Lewis Lanier as Founding Director of the PICI Center. Research spans T-cell therapies, CRISPR, immune microenvironment, and precision treatments. Kole Roybal serves as Center Director.
• University of PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Penn is a founding member and global leader in CAR-T cell therapy. Carl June pioneered the first FDA-approved CAR-T therapy. E. John Wherry and Saar Gill serve as Co-Directors. Penn drives discoveries in cancer immunotherapy at international scale.
• MD Anderson Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016MD Anderson is a founding PICI member focused on advancing cancer immunotherapy research. Jennifer Wargo's work on the microbiome and immunotherapy response is published in Science. The center contributes to PICI's microbiome-cancer immunotherapy clinical trials.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Memorial Sloan Kettering is a founding PICI member. Jedd Wolchok serves as Director of the Parker Institute at MSK. Researchers collaborated on foundational work predicting melanoma patient response to checkpoint inhibitors published in Nature.
• City of HopemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016City of Hope joined PICI's expanded network of affiliated institutions, contributing to the collaborative research effort in cancer immunotherapy.
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Fred Hutch joined PICI's network contributing expertise in immunotherapy research including work on regulatory T cells and CAR-T therapy development.
• Washington University School of MedicinemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Washington University joined PICI's network contributing to collaborative research efforts including work on childhood leukemia and immunotherapy resistance.
• Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaimajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Mount Sinai joined PICI's network contributing researchers like Amir Horowitz to collaborative immunotherapy research projects.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Chan Zuckerberg Biohub: CZ Biohub is a nonprofit research organization that funds collaborative biomedical science across multiple institutions. Like PICI, it pursues a network model and emphasizes technology-enabled biomedical discovery, though with a broader biomedical (not cancer-specific) mandate.
• Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration: ARC is a nonprofit that coordinates multi-institutional clinical trials in sarcoma. While disease-narrow, it exemplifies the same model PICI applies in cancer immunotherapy: a nonprofit coordinator that unites academic centers to run trials no single institution could run alone.

Broad incumbents

• National Cancer Institute: The NCI is the US federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training, funding the vast majority of academic cancer science. While government-funded rather than philanthropic, NCI is the dominant institutional comparator for any US cancer research organization and shapes the funding landscape PICI operates within.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: HHMI is one of the largest US biomedical research philanthropies, supporting hundreds of investigators across institutions. While broader than PICI (encompassing all of biomedical science), HHMI shares PICI's model of long-term funding to embedded investigators at leading research institutions and represents a comparable scale of philanthropic biomedical research.

Direct peers

• Stand Up To Cancer: Stand Up To Cancer is a major US nonprofit that funds collaborative, high-risk cancer research through multi-institutional "Dream Teams." Its model of pooling resources across leading cancer centers to accelerate translational research closely mirrors PICI's network-based approach.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: The V Foundation is a major cancer research nonprofit founded by Jim Valvano that funds translational and clinical cancer research across US institutions. It shares PICI's philanthropic funding model and translational research orientation, though it spans all cancer types rather than focusing exclusively on immunotherapy.
• Mark Foundation for Cancer Research: The Mark Foundation is a nonprofit that funds high-risk cancer research across academic institutions and biotech, including a significant emphasis on translational science. Its venture-style grantmaking and biotech partnership approach parallels PICI's hybrid philanthropy-VC model.
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation: Damon Runyon is a nonprofit that funds early-career cancer researchers with a focus on high-risk, high-reward science. PICI's Early Career Researcher Awards program and Damon Runyon's fellowship programs pursue overlapping talent-development missions in oncology.
• Cancer Research Institute: The Cancer Research Institute is the other major US nonprofit exclusively dedicated to funding cancer immunology research and supporting investigators in the field. PICI and CRI have even launched a joint glioblastoma study, making CRI the most directly comparable peer in mission, funding model, and researcher network.
• Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research: Ludwig is a long-established nonprofit cancer research institute operating a global network of laboratories focused on cancer biology and immunology. Like PICI, it combines intramural research with extramural funding and shares PICI's focus on translating cancer science into clinical impact.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/parkerici
• Facebookfacebook.com/ParkerICI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/7942549

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A1 record

Investments14 records

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Frequently asked questions about Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy