IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

What IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center does

The Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center (IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center) is an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center operated as part of Indiana University in Indianapolis. It is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Indiana and one of only 57 in the United States, and is one of only 33 member institutions of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, which sets the recognized standard of care for cancer treatment. The center serves individual cancer patients across Indiana and the Midwest with comprehensive care spanning prevention, diagnosis, treatment, clinical trials, and survivorship; it also serves research faculty, trainees, and the broader oncology community through its research programs.

The center is organized around three primary research programs — Cancer Prevention & Control, Experimental & Developmental Therapeutics, and Cancer Biology and Microenvironment — supported by 13 shared facilities including biospecimen banking (anchored by the Komen Tissue Bank, the world's only repository of healthy breast tissue with over 10,000 donors), flow cytometry, genomics, proteomics, biostatistics, cell and gene therapy manufacturing, and clinical pharmacology. Specialized centers include the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research, the Brown Center for Immunotherapy, the Center for Global Oncology, the Tom and Julie Wood Center for Lung Cancer Research, the Walther Center for Supportive Oncology, and the Cancer Drug Discovery & Development Accelerator. Notable scientific capabilities include the APE1/Ref-1 inhibitor APX3330, spatial transcriptomics for pancreatic cancer, 3D tumor models, and the nationwide PERSEVERE trial for triple negative breast cancer. The center operates 199 actively recruiting clinical trials and reports 376 cancer investigators across the IU School of Medicine, IU School of Nursing, and Fairbanks School of Public Health.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: external research grants and federal funding (including NCI Cancer Center Support Grants and SPORE awards), patient care services delivered through IU Health (Indiana's largest healthcare network), and philanthropic donations — most notably over $50 million cumulatively from the Vera Bradley Foundation. The center is governed as part of Indiana University, a public state university system, and is not independently owned or publicly traded. Patient services are billed through standard medical insurance, and clinical trial participation costs vary by protocol.

Name

IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

Legal name

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

Website

https://cancer.iu.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center is Indiana's only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center and one of 57 nationwide, serving patients and researchers through three core research programs, 13 shared facilities, six specialized centers, and 199 actively recruiting clinical trials as part of Indiana University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Comprehensive Cancer Center

NAICS

Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (622310), Offices of Physicians (62111), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) (EDAHAAAC)

Keywords

• Cancer research
• Clinical trials
• Immunotherapy research
• Precision oncology
• Cancer treatment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: External funding from National Cancer Institute, SPORE grants, and other federal/private funding agencies supporting cancer research programs
2. Patient Care Services: Clinical services providing cancer treatment and care to patients
3. Philanthropic Donations: Support from donors including Vera Bradley Foundation ($50M+ committed), individual donors, and corporate partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center is an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center that delivers cancer patient care, runs active clinical trials, and conducts basic, clinical, and population science research across three core programs. It provides direct clinical services through the IU Health system, operates 13 shared research facilities, and offers specialized centers in breast cancer, immunotherapy, lung cancer, supportive oncology, and global oncology. The center also delivers graduate training, fellowships, and community education programs.

Product overview

IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center is a comprehensive cancer research and patient care institution structured around multiple specialized research centers, clinical programs, and educational initiatives. The core research infrastructure includes three main research programs (Cancer Prevention & Control, Experimental & Developmental Therapeutics, Cancer Biology and Microenvironment) and specialized centers including the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research, the Brown Center for Immunotherapy, the Center for Global Oncology, the Tom and Julie Wood Center for Lung Cancer Research, the Walther Center for Supportive Oncology, and the Cancer Drug Discovery & Development Accelerator. Patient services include hundreds of clinical trials and the Komen Tissue Bank biobanking resource. Educational offerings encompass graduate training programs (PhD, post-baccalaureate, fellowships) and community outreach through programs like the Simon Says Expert Series. The center leverages shared research facilities including biospecimen, biostatistics, flow cytometry, genomics, and proteomics cores to support its research mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research: Multidisciplinary research center targeting hard-to-treat breast cancers with focus on immunotherapy, precision genomics, prevention, health equity, and survivorship.
• Brown Center for Immunotherapy
• Center for Global Oncology
• Walther Center for Supportive Oncology
• Tom and Julie Wood Center for Lung Cancer Research
• Cancer Drug Discovery & Development Accelerator (CD3A)
• Simon Says Expert Series
• 100 Voices of Hope

Products and services

• Clinical Trials Hundreds of active clinical trials available to patients across multiple cancer types, including breast, lung, pancreatic, hematologic, and other cancers. Patients can enroll regionally and nationally through the Clinical Trials Office.
• Komen Tissue Bank A repository of healthy breast tissue samples from over 10,000 women of diverse genetic ancestries, used by researchers worldwide to study breast cancer development. Managed by the Biospecimen Collection and Banking Core at IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.
• Graduate Training Programs PhD in Translational Cancer Biology, Post-Baccalaureate Cancer Research Education Program, Cancer Prevention and Control training, and fellowships/residencies in hematology-oncology, pediatric hematology-oncology, urologic oncology, radiation oncology, and breast surgical oncology.
• Shared Facilities Over a dozen high-tech shared facilities providing research support including Biospecimen Collection and Banking Core, Biostatistics & Data Management Core, Cancer Bioinformatics Core, Flow Cytometry Core (Cytek Aurora), Genomics Core, Proteomics Core, Translational Research Core, Clinical Trials Office, and others.
• Cancer Prevention & Control Research Program A research program focused on reducing cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality through risk reduction, early detection, survivorship, and symptom science research.
• Experimental & Developmental Therapeutics Research Program A research program promoting mechanism-based research for improved cancer therapy using a bedside-to-bench-to-bedside approach, focusing on novel cancer-selective targets and antitumor agents.
• Cancer Biology and Microenvironment Research Program A research program studying how cancer cells interact with their surrounding environment, immune system, and host tissues to drive cancer progression and metastasis.
• Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research A multidisciplinary research center focused on breast cancer, featuring programs in immunotherapy, precision genomics, prevention and detection, health equity, and survivorship. Houses the Komen Tissue Bank.
• Brown Center for Immunotherapy A center translating immunotherapy research into clinical trials to treat patients, focusing on multiple myeloma and triple negative breast cancer. Features an immunotherapy pipeline from research scientists to patients.
• Center for Global Oncology Expanding IU's cancer care research and treatment internationally, particularly building on work in Kenya with a $5 million grant to expand breast cancer diagnosis and care access.
• Walther Center for Supportive Oncology Focused on supportive oncology research to improve quality of life for cancer patients through palliative care and symptom management.
• Tom and Julie Wood Center for Lung Cancer Research Focused on improving lung cancer prevention efforts, earlier detection, and developing personalized therapies to improve standard of care.
• Cancer Drug Discovery & Development Accelerator (CD3A) A multidisciplinary team using emerging technologies and computational tools to expand molecular space and drug development capabilities for cancer therapeutics.
• Simon Says Expert Series A monthly video series bringing together cancer center researchers, physicians, patients, and advocates to discuss various cancer-related topics including chemobrain, fear of recurrence, health disparities, exercise, and supportive care.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,300 discoveries published in peer-reviewed journals by IU breast cancer researchers since 2004
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature7 records

Partnerships

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

• National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe center is one of only 33 NCCN member institutions. Physicians play a role in determining the recognized standard of care for cancer treatment nationally.
• Susan G. Komen Tissue BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Anna Maria Storniolo, MD, the Komen Tissue Bank is the world's only repository of healthy breast tissue. Over 10,000 women have donated samples from diverse genetic ancestries for research collaboration.
• Indiana University School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary academic partner providing faculty researchers, medical education, and research infrastructure. The cancer center is part of the IU School of Medicine.
• IU HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndiana's largest healthcare network providing clinical care infrastructure and patient access for the cancer center's treatment services.
• Atossa TherapeuticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish pharmaceutical company conducting Phase II clinical trial studying endoxifen (discovered by Todd Skaar, PhD) for reducing breast density.
• Center for Global Oncology - Kenya PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIU has been instrumental in improving cancer care in Kenya. New $5 million grant to expand access to breast cancer diagnosis and care in Kenya. New Center for Global Oncology aims to expand this vision.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• MD Anderson Cancer Center: Largest NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in the US, operating within the University of Texas system. Functions as the apex peer for IU Simon: same NCI/NCCN credentials, similar university-AMC embedding, but at materially larger scale and broader reach — providing the natural benchmark for program ambition, clinical volume, and translational commercialization.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: A peer NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center and NCCN member institution focused exclusively on cancer research and treatment. The closest direct comparability on mission, credentialing, and translational pipeline depth; differs in being an independent private non-profit rather than university-embedded.
• Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center: NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center embedded within a major multi-state health system. Directly comparable on integrated clinical-research model, multi-specialty oncology programs, and clinical trial throughput; operates at substantially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: Harvard-affiliated NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center with deep translational research and clinical trial programs. Directly comparable on cancer-only focus, NCI/NCCN standing, and translational pipeline, though anchored to a private Harvard ecosystem rather than a public university.
• UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center: NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center at a public research university with academic medical center. Most structurally comparable peer — same public-university-AMC structure, NCI comprehensive designation, and translational research orientation — allowing close benchmarking of funding, trial portfolio, and faculty scale.
• UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center: NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center at a public research university (University of North Carolina). Direct structural peer with comparable size and mission, including translational research, clinical trials, and population science — an especially relevant benchmark given similar public-university constraints on commercialization.
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: NCI-designated cancer center affiliated with the University of Washington, focused on research-driven oncology. Direct peer in translational pipeline (immunotherapy, bone marrow transplant), academic affiliation, and NCI/NCCN standing.
• The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center: NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center at a large public Midwestern research university. Highly comparable on public-university-AMC structure, regional patient catchment, and NCI/NCCN standing — providing a close geographic and structural benchmark.
• Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center: NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center at a major research university (Vanderbilt). Directly comparable on translational research, clinical trial scale, and NCI/NCCN credentials; differs in being at a private rather than public university.
• Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University: NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center at a major research university, focused on translational research and patient care. Comparable on scale, NCI/NCCN standing, and translational pipeline orientation; useful for benchmarking clinical trial throughput.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IUCancerCenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IUSimonCancerCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/iusimoncancercenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iucancercenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/iusimoncancercenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center