Harper Cancer Research Institute

Name

Harper Cancer Research Institute

Legal name

Mike and Josie Harper Cancer Research Institute

Website

https://harpercancer.nd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Research

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

High-Throughput Screening & Assay Platforms (HTS/HCS, phenotypic screening) (HLAAAIAA)

Keywords

• Cancer research
• Tumor immunotherapy
• Translational oncology
• Biomedical research
• Cancer diagnostics

Headquarters

HQ city

South Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Harper Cancer Research Institute (HCRI) is a multi-disciplinary cancer research institute at the University of Notre Dame that conducts innovative and integrative research to confront the complex challenges of cancer. It brings together researchers from biology, chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, and computational sciences to address common malignancies as well as rare and recalcitrant cancers, with the goal of increasing survival for all patients diagnosed with cancer. The institute also operates training programs (SURF, ENSCCII) and clinical-translational research collaborations with regional health systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TICTACs (Tumor Immune Cell Targeting Chimeras) A novel immunotherapy technology developed at HCRI that uses Tumor Immune Cell Targeting Chimeras to selectively target solid tumors, increase their susceptibility to treatment, and spare healthy tissue. Designed for cancer immunotherapy research and translational applications targeting CD206 receptors on tumor-associated macrophages.
• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) A summer research training program offering undergraduate students hands-on cancer research experience, mentorship, and career development in a multi-disciplinary academic environment at the University of Notre Dame.
• ENSCCII Training Program A cancer research training program funded by the Walther Cancer Foundation that provides graduate and postdoctoral trainees with interdisciplinary education and mentorship in cancer research at HCRI.
• Multi-Disciplinary Cancer Research Programs The institute's core research service, providing multi-disciplinary cancer research programs that integrate biology, chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, and computational sciences to address common malignancies as well as rare and recalcitrant cancers. Conducted in collaboration with academic and clinical partners for academic and clinical researchers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Development of TICTAC immunotherapy approach showing improved efficacy and decreased toxicity in preclinical models
• +1 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

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Beacon Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Multi-year research collaboration agreement between Notre Dame and Beacon Health System to advance oncology research. The partnership includes a joint appointment for Dr. Anas Al-Janadi as Harper Cancer Research Institute's first Associate Director for Clinical and Community Research and Chief of Oncology at Beacon Health System.
• University of GalwaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2025Biseach Initiative - an international research collaboration between Notre Dame and University of Galway bringing together cancer researchers, clinicians, faculty, and trainees from both institutions to build new research connections and work toward better outcomes for patients.
• Indiana University School of Medicine South BendcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical and research partnership contributing to education, research, and patient care. Partners include tissue biorepository biobanking efforts and collaborative research projects.
• Memorial Hospital of South BendminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal clinical partner participating in tissue biorepository biobanking efforts and pilot projects in breast cancer research.
• St. Joseph Regional Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal clinical partner that has sponsored pilot projects in breast cancer and participates in tissue biorepository biobanking efforts.
• South Bend Medical FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal clinical partner participating in tissue biorepository biobanking efforts.
• MD Anderson Cancer CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership discussions for collaborative research and novel educational opportunities for Notre Dame trainees.
• Loyola University Cardinal Bernardin Cancer CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration including joint retreats to identify collaborative opportunities, generating funded collaborative projects and extramural grant applications.
• Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIH-funded institute supporting research across Indiana, representing a partnership between Indiana University, Purdue University, University of Notre Dame, and key community and business partners.
• Lurie Cancer CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTranslational research partnership announced between Lurie Cancer Center and Harper Cancer Research Institute.
• Moi University (Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership with researchers from Moi University in Kenya to study highly advanced breast cancer cases in very young women.
• Kelly Cares FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal foundation partnership for community cancer awareness and support activities.
• RiverBend Cancer ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community organization partnered for cancer awareness and support programs.
• Notre Dame ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Notre Dame's research administration providing support for HCRI including administrative functions, grant proposals, contracts, and compliance.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: An NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Seattle with strong research in immunotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, and basic cancer biology. Peer as a major academic research entity focused on cancer discovery.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: One of the largest and most established NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers, conducting cutting-edge multi-disciplinary cancer research including immunotherapy. Represents a much larger incumbent peer in the same broad research space.
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: A Harvard-affiliated NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center with deep research programs in immunology, breast cancer, and biologic therapies. Comparable to HCRI in cancer research mission but at substantially greater scale and resources.
• MD Anderson Cancer Center: The largest NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in the US. HCRI has partnership discussions with MD Anderson for collaborative research and trainee educational opportunities, indicating overlap in cancer research scope despite vastly different scales.

Direct peers

• Moi University College of Health Sciences: Partner institution with HCRI on breast cancer research in young women in Kenya. Peer given shared academic research mission and ongoing collaborative research studies.
• Lurie Cancer Center: An NCI-designated cancer center at Northwestern University with translational research programs. HCRI announced a translational research partnership with Lurie in 2021, making it a direct peer on multi-disciplinary cancer research and translational infrastructure.
• Case Comprehensive Cancer Center: An NCI-designated consortium cancer center combining Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, and Cleveland Clinic. Comparable to HCRI as a multi-institutional academic cancer research enterprise.
• University of Galway Cancer Research Centre: Cancer research center at University of Galway, a direct international research partner through the Biseach Initiative. Considered a peer given shared university-affiliated research structure and joint training and grant programs.
• Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center: An NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center based in Indiana with active research and clinical programs across multiple cancer types. HCRI already partners with Indiana University School of Medicine South Bend, and the two institutions share Indiana CTSI affiliation, making IU Simon a direct institutional peer in cancer research scale and mission.
• Loyola University Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center: An academic cancer research center with joint retreats and funded collaborative projects with HCRI. As a similarly-sized university-affiliated cancer research center, it is a direct peer in organizational mission and scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/FZ3hCW8Pi_k?si=6eoUbuGz8ciIBpeV
• Facebookfacebook.com/HarperCancerResearchInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harpercancer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Harper Cancer Research Institute