CEO Roundtable on Cancer

What CEO Roundtable on Cancer does

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer (CEORT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 at the request of President George H.W. Bush, operating a precompetitive collaboration model that convenes CEOs, pharmaceutical executives, academic cancer centers, and government health agencies to reduce cancer risk and accelerate research. The organization is governed by a Board and Life Sciences Council drawing senior leaders from member companies including AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfizer, Roche, and Novartis, alongside academic centers such as MD Anderson and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Its technology core is Project Data Sphere (PDS), an independent 501(c)(3) subsidiary established in 2014 that operates an open-access clinical trial data sharing platform with 252+ de-identified trials and 250,000+ patient records, complemented by closed-access precompetitive AI research programs including autoRECIST (deep learning-powered RECIST 1.1 automation reducing ~30% inter-radiologist variability), the Total Tumor Burden Index (volumetric 3D tumor assessment), and AI/NLP tools for detecting immune-related adverse events (94.7% sensitivity vs. 68.7% for ICD codes, published in Journal of Clinical Oncology). Supporting initiatives include the CEO Cancer Gold Standard workplace wellness accreditation (500+ accredited organizations), START Clauses 2.0 for clinical trial agreement standardization, and Going for Gold for health equity partnerships with HBCUs and minority-serving institutions.

Revenue is generated through corporate membership dues, Gold Standard accreditation fees, and tax-deductible donations (EIN 65-1230448). The organization is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina with a 1–10 person core staff, supplemented by the Board, Life Sciences Council, and member-organization personnel who execute coalition work. CEO Dr. Sean Khozin (appointed February 2024, formerly J&J Global Head of Data Strategy) has refocused the organization on AI in cancer research.

Name

CEO Roundtable on Cancer

Legal name

CEO Roundtable on Cancer, Inc.

Website

https://ceort.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CEO Roundtable on Cancer is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 that convenes pharmaceutical executives, academic cancer centers, and government agencies around precompetitive oncology initiatives. It operates Project Data Sphere, an open-access clinical trial data platform and AI-tool development subsidiary serving global cancer researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Research Collaboration Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Molecular Tumor Boards & Clinical Interpretation Services (HLAAANAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oncology Remote Symptom Monitoring & Care Navigation (HLALAFAD)

Keywords

• Cancer research collaboration
• Oncology data sharing
• Workplace wellness accreditation
• Clinical trial analytics
• Health equity initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Morrisville

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, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from pharmaceutical companies, healthcare organizations, and corporate members joining the CEO Roundtable on Cancer coalition.
2. Gold Standard Accreditation Fees: Fees from organizations seeking CEO Cancer Gold Standard workplace wellness accreditation.
3. Tax-Deductible Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals and organizations supporting cancer research and health equity initiatives. EIN: 65-1230448. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CEO Roundtable on Cancer is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit coalition that convenes corporate leaders, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and government agencies around precompetitive cancer-fighting initiatives. Its primary offerings include the Project Data Sphere open-access clinical trial data sharing platform (252+ trials, 250K+ patient records), the CEO Cancer Gold Standard workplace wellness accreditation program, AI-driven oncology tools (autoRECIST, TTBI, irAE detection), the START Clauses clinical trial contracting framework, and the Going for Gold health equity initiative with HBCUs.

Product overview

CEO Roundtable on Cancer operates a platform-plus-programs architecture centered on Project Data Sphere®, an independent 501(c)(3) subsidiary providing an open-access data sharing platform with 252+ clinical trials and 250,000+ patient records, complemented by closed-access precompetitive AI research initiatives including autoRECIST for automated tumor assessment and the Total Tumor Burden Index for volumetric 3D analysis. Supporting programs include the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ workplace wellness accreditation, the irAEs Initiative addressing immunotherapy safety with AI-powered tools, START Clauses 2.0 for clinical trial agreement standardization, and Going for Gold for health equity. The organization also produces the Precision Signals Podcast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEO Cancer Gold Standard

Quantifiable outcome

• autoRECIST reduces ~30% inter-radiologist variability in tumor assessments
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Qure.aicoreTechnology or Integration · 16 January 2024Project Data Sphere partnered with Qure.ai to advance AI-enabled diagnostic imaging and democratize access to vital diagnostic services in underserved regions. Qure.ai is a medical imaging AI company deployed in 3,100+ hospitals across 90+ countries.
• Cleveland CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCleveland Clinic is a key partner in the irAEs initiative, collaborating on immune-related adverse events research and hosting the inaugural ASPIRE and STORIES meetings in March 2024.
• Massachusetts General HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMassachusetts General Hospital participates as a partner in the irAEs initiative, contributing to the global effort to characterize, detect, and mitigate immune-related adverse events from cancer immunotherapy.
• National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEORT and NMQF collaborate on Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative to bring President Biden's Cancer Moonshot to marginalized communities. Also collaborated on 56% Carcinogenic Environments report addressing cancer disparities in minoritized communities.
• Parker Institute for Cancer ImmunotherapycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on December 2017 Immune-Related Myocarditis Workshop and continues as key partner in irAEs initiative. CEO Karen Knudsen contributed insights at 2025 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
• FDAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing public-private partnership with FDA renewed in 2022, focused on Project Data Sphere data sharing platform, irAE program, and autoRECIST. FDA participates in annual symposia series and has issued guidance documents and Letter of Support for PDS initiatives.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCI collaborated with CEORT on START Clauses initiative since 2005 and continues as key partner. NCI Director Anthony Letai participated in fireside chat at 2025 Annual Meeting. Partnership includes Cancer Moonshot engagement through Partnership Summit.
• Merck KGaA (Global Oncology Big Data Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched Global Oncology Big Data Alliance (GOBDA) with Merck KGaA in 2017. Merck KGaA/EMD Serono is represented on Life Sciences Council by Dr. Stu Bailey. Achieved significant milestone in immuno-oncology research in April 2024 through this partnership.
• Going for Gold Partners (HBCUs, Minority-Serving Institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with HBCUs and minority-serving institutions including UNC Pembroke and UT Permian Basin. Initiative launched January 2022 with capacity to impact 20+ million lives in 7-10 years. Connected to White House Cancer Moonshot.
• AmgencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoing for Gold founding partner along with Merck and SAS. Supports autoRECIST initiative. Board Chair David Reese represents Amgen. Robert Bradway serves as Director Emeritus and CEO of Amgen.
• SAS InstitutecoreTechnology or IntegrationSAS provides advanced analytical and visual analysis tools embedded within Project Data Sphere platform, giving cancer researchers free access to run complex models. Going for Gold partner. CEO James Goodnight serves on Board of Directors.
• Merck & Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoing for Gold founding partner. Merck representative Dr. Marjorie Green serves on Life Sciences Council. Supports autoRECIST initiative. BMS executive Gideon Blumenthal is former deputy director of FDA Oncology Center of Excellence.
• Johnson & Johnson Innovative MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Dr. Imran Khan serves on Board. Supports autoRECIST initiative. Dr. Kiran Patel serves on Life Sciences Council leading solid tumor clinical development. Previous CEO William Weldon serves as Chairman Emeritus.
• Brand InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrand Institute, the global leader in pharmaceutical name development, joined CEORT in December 2023 to support the mission to ease the burden of cancer.
• Outcomes4MecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI-powered patient empowerment platform joined CEORT in December 2023, providing personalized, evidence-based information including clinical trial matching for cancer patients.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO): ASCO is the professional society for oncologists, hosting the ASCO Annual Meeting where CEORT participates, and recognizing the ASPIRE/STORIES Communities of Practice in 2025. Comparable to CEORT as an oncology leadership convener shaping clinical standards and trial design.
• National Cancer Institute: The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the US federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training, and is both a longstanding CEORT partner (START Clauses, Cancer Moonshot) and a comparable convener of large-scale cancer research initiatives with academic and industry partners.
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR): AACR is a major nonprofit professional organization dedicated to cancer research, publishing leading journals and hosting large scientific meetings. Comparable to CEORT as a convener of cancer research stakeholders with strong industry and academic relationships.
• American Cancer Society: The American Cancer Society is the largest US nonprofit dedicated to cancer research, education, advocacy, and patient support. Comparable to CEORT as a national cancer-focused nonprofit reliant on donations and corporate partnerships, though at materially larger scale and broader programmatic scope.

Direct peers

• Flatiron Health: Flatiron Health operates an oncology-specific real-world data platform built from EHRs and used by pharma for clinical research and regulatory submissions. It is the closest commercial analog to Project Data Sphere in aggregating de-identified oncology patient data for research use, and is now part of Roche following its 2018 acquisition.
• COTA Healthcare: COTA Healthcare aggregates real-world oncology data to support cancer research and care decisions. Comparable to Project Data Sphere in building oncology real-world evidence datasets for research, though operating as a commercial entity serving pharma and providers.
• Vivli: Vivli is a nonprofit clinical research data sharing platform that hosts individual participant-level data from completed trials across therapeutic areas. It is the closest direct peer to Project Data Sphere's open-access data sharing mission, operating a similar model at broader therapeutic breadth.
• Foundation Medicine: Foundation Medicine is a molecular information company generating large-scale genomic profiles of cancers used by oncologists and pharma for targeted therapy development. Comparable to CEORT in maintaining one of the largest proprietary oncology molecular data assets and in being deeply embedded with major pharma sponsors.

Emerging players

• Tempus: Tempus is an AI-enabled precision medicine company combining molecular profiling, clinical data, and machine learning to support oncology decision-making and pharma R&D. Comparable to CEORT's Project Data Sphere and AI initiatives in building oncology data infrastructure, though operating as a commercial company.
• Paige: Paige develops AI applications for cancer pathology, with FDA-authorized products for prostate cancer detection. Comparable to CEORT's autoRECIST and TTBI work in applying AI/ML to clinical oncology assessment and in pursuing regulatory validation of AI-derived endpoints.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ceocancerfight
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PrecisionSignals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ceoroundtableoncancer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CEO Roundtable on Cancer