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Draft:The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research

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  • Comment: This draft is written from the viewpoint of the organization, focusing on what the organization says about itself. Corporate notability or organization notability is based on what independent reliable sources have written about the subject.
    Not every organization, and not every organization with 501(c)(3) status (or its equivalent in other countries) is notable, and this draft does not establish organizational notability. You may ask for advice at the Teahouse.
    The foundation is probably notable, but this draft does not establish organizational notability because it does not focus on what third parties have said about the foundation. Robert McClenon (talk) 02:50, 30 August 2024 (UTC)

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
Founded2017
TypeNonprofit
FocusCancer research
Location
  • New York, New York
Key people
Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD (CEO), Raymond DuBois, MD, PhD (Executive Chair)
Websitehttps://themarkfoundation.org/

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) public, non-profit organization working to accelerate cancer research through grant funding, global partnerships, and venture investments in early-stage companies.[1]

The Mark Foundation was established in 2017 by Alexander Knaster, chairman and founder of Pamplona Capital Management, in honor of his father, Mark Knaster, who passed away from cancer. In 2022, Knaster made an additional $500 million commitment, significantly bolstering the foundation’s capacity to fund cancer research.[2][3] The foundation receives additional financial support from other donors and partner organizations. Since 2017, it has provided over $230 million in grants to scientists at more than 100 research institutions in 16 countries.

Grant & Award Programs

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The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research provides funding to support cancer research through several established grant programs, including ASPIRE Awards to test innovative new ideas, Endeavor Awards to support team science collaborations, Emerging Leader Awards to enable the next generation of cancer research leaders, Drug Discovery Awards to accelerate the development of new cancer therapeutics, and Momentum Fellowships to support postdoctoral researchers. The foundation also funds Mark Foundation Centers—larger teams of investigators taking novel approaches to transform cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Three Mark Foundation Centers have been established to date:

The Mark Foundation regularly collaborates with other organizations to jointly identify and fund high-impact research. Notable partners include:

The foundation also works with pharmaceutical companies to help bring new diagnostics and treatments to the clinic.[19][20]

Impact

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Notable Mark Foundation-funded projects include:

AstroPath Imaging Platform
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Developed by researchers at The Mark Foundation Center for Advanced Genomics and Imaging at Johns Hopkins University, the AstroPath platform uses technology built to map distant galaxies to image and map tumors to enable more precise, targeted treatment.[21][22]

AI-Based Precision Oncology
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Since 2021, researchers at The Mark Foundation Institute for Integrated Cancer Medicine at the University of Cambridge have been working with GE HealthCare to build an application that will use artificial intelligence to build personalized cancer treatment plans for individual patients.[23][24]

Multi-Target Colorectal Cancer Screening Test
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Through its investment in the Dutch company CRCbioscreen, The Mark Foundation has funded the development of a new multitarget fecal immunochemical test, which in a 2022 clinical trial in the Netherlands outperformed existing FIT tests.[25][26]

Work funded by The Mark Foundation has also resulted in a number of publications in high-impact scientific journals, including:

  • Lung adenocarcinoma promotion by air pollutants[27]
  • A membrane-associated MHC-I inhibitory axis for cancer immune evasion[28]
  • Glycosphingolipid synthesis mediates immune evasion in KRAS-driven cancer[29]
  • A non-antibiotic-disrupted gut microbiome is associated with clinical responses to CD19-CAR-T cell cancer immunotherapy[30]
  • Combined JAK inhibition and PD-1 immunotherapy for non–small cell lung cancer patients[31]

Leadership and Governance

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The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research is led by CEO Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD, and board chair Raymond DuBois, MD, PhD, Director of the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina and past president of the American Association for Cancer Research.[32][33] Other members of the Board of Directors include Ross Levine, MD, Nicola Mendelsohn, Paul Pospisil, PhD, and Otmar Wiestler, MD.[34]

The foundation’s leadership is also advised by a Scientific Advisory Committee, whose members include Scott Armstrong, MD, PhD, Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD, Sarah-Jane Dawson, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, Johanna Joyce, PhD, Elaine Mardis, PhD, Daniel Nomura, PhD, Charles Swanton, MBPhD, FCRP, FMedSci, FAACR, FRS, and E. John Wherry, PhD, and an Industry Advisory Committee whose members include Hans Bitter, PhD, Pamela Carroll, PhD, Dan Hicklin, PhD, Markus Renschler, MD, and Wendy Young, PhD.[35]

References

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  1. ^ The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research . (n.d.). https://themarkfoundation.org/
  2. ^ The Mark Foundation plans to spend $500 million on cutting-edge cancer research. The Cancer Letter. (2022, February 18). https://cancerletter.com/conversation-with-the-cancer-letter/20220218_4/
  3. ^ Karon, P. (2022, June 21). Funded by Billionaire Alex Knaster, The Mark Foundation Is a Growing Player in Cancer Research. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022/6/21/founded-by-billionaire-alex-knaster-the-mark-foundation-is-a-growing-player-in-cancer-research
  4. ^ Making sense of cancer’s ‘big data’ problem to revolutionise patient care. (2018, July 10). University of Cambridge. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/making-sense-of-cancers-big-data-problem-to-revolutionise-patient-care
  5. ^ The Mark Foundation Institute for Integrated Cancer Medicine. (n.d.). https://www.integratedcancermedicine.org/
  6. ^ The Mark Foundation Institute for Integrated Cancer Medicine: Re-inventing the patient pathway. (n.d.). CRUK Cambridge Centre. https://crukcambridgecentre.org.uk/research/strategic/integrated-cancer-medicine
  7. ^ The Mark Foundation Center for Immunotherapy, Immune Signaling, and Radiation. (n.d.). https://www.mfciir.org/
  8. ^ Penn Receives $12 Million Grant to Study Connection Between Radiation and Immunotherapies. (2019, June 3). Penn Medicine. https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2019/june/penn-receives-12-million-grant-to-study-connection-between-radiation-and-immunotherapies
  9. ^ The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Expands Partnership with The Johns Hopkins University to Accelerate Groundbreaking Immunotherapy Research. (2022, June 28). Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2022/06/the-mark-foundation-for-cancer-research-expands-partnership-with-the-johns-hopkins-university-to-accelerate-groundbreaking-immunotherapy-research
  10. ^ Pathologic Scoring Shows Promise for Assessing Lung Tumor Therapy Response. (2023, November 7). Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical & Translational Research. https://ictr.johnshopkins.edu/news_announce/pathologic-scoring-shows-promise-for-assessing-lung-tumor-therapy-response/
  11. ^ Cookson, C. (2022, June 16). Charity launches £80mn programme with US partner to address cancer challenges. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/aa347659-d96a-489b-ac09-1a3f0b3e059f
  12. ^ Cancer Research UK partners with The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research to pave way for personalised immunotherapy treatments. (2024, March 7). Cancer Research UK. https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2024/03/07/cancer-research-uk-partners-with-the-mark-foundation-for-cancer-research-to-pave-way-for-personalised-immunotherapy-treatments/
  13. ^ Nietzel, M. (2024, March 6). Five Research Teams Will Receive $125 Million To Study Cancer’s Biggest Challenges. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2024/03/06/five-teams-will-receive-125-million-to-research-cancers-biggest-challenges/
  14. ^ AACR-The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research “Science of the Patient” (SOP) Grants. (n.d.) American Association for Cancer Research. https://www.aacr.org/grants/aacr-the-mark-foundation-for-cancer-research-science-of-the-patient-sop-grants/
  15. ^ LLS, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research and The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group Partner to Award $6.75M in New Grants to Drive the Next Wave of Novel Cancer Therapies. (2020, July 1). The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. https://www.lls.org/news/lls-mark-foundation-cancer-research-and-paul-g-allen-frontiers-group-partner-award-675m-new
  16. ^ The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research and The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group Partner to Award $6.75M in New Grants to Drive the Next Wave of Novel Cancer Therapies. (2020, July 1). Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group. https://alleninstitute.org/news/the-leukemia-lymphoma-society-the-mark-foundation-for-cancer-research-and-the-paul-g-allen-frontiers-group-partner-to-award-6-75m-in-new-grants-to-drive-the-next-wave-of-novel-cancer-therapies/
  17. ^ Cancer Research Institute and the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Launch Research Collaboration to Evaluate Liquid Biopsy for More Accurate and Rapid Assessment of Lung Cancer Patient Response to Immunotherapy. (2020, July 28). Cancer Research Institute. https://www.cancerresearch.org/media-room/2020/cri-mark-foundation-ctdna-cancer-clinical-trial
  18. ^ Dr. Siqi Li named a 2022 Damon Runyon Fellow. (2022, February 1). Fred Hutch Cancer Center. https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2022/02/siqi-li-damon-runyon-fellow.html
  19. ^ The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Teams Up with Takeda to Fund Groundbreaking Research to Uncover and Target Novel Cancer Vulnerabilities. (2023, October 12). PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-mark-foundation-for-cancer-research-teams-up-with-takeda-to-fund-groundbreaking-research-to-uncover-and-target-novel-cancer-vulnerabilities-301954892.html
  20. ^ Evotec and The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research announce strategic collaboration in immuno-oncology. (2019, March 26). Evotec. https://www.evotec.com/en/news/evotec-and-the-mark-foundation-for-cancer-research-announce-strategic-collaboration-in-immuno-oncology
  21. ^ Kramer, M., & Alison, S. (2022, June 21). Exclusive: Cancer treatment tool gets major boost in funding. Axios. https://www.axios.com/2022/06/21/astropath-immunotherapy-funding
  22. ^ Johns Hopkins Investigators Win Life Sciences Award for Astropath Cancer Mapping Technology. (2021, December 9). Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2021/12/johns-hopkins-investigators-win-life-sciences-award-for-astropath-cancer-mapping-technology
  23. ^ GE Healthcare, University of Cambridge Team on AI-Based Precision Oncology. (2021, November 29). Precision Medicine Online. https://www.precisionmedicineonline.com/business-news/ge-healthcare-university-cambridge-team-ai-based-precision-oncology
  24. ^ King, R.J. (2021, November 29). GE Healthcare Seeks to Advance Cancer Care with Patient-centric Platform. DBusiness. https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/ge-healthcare-seeks-to-advance-cancer-care-with-patient-centric-platform/
  25. ^ Bin Han Ong, Matthew. (2024, March 1). Multi-target FIT aims to offer inexpensive, high-sensitivity alternative to FIT in colorectal cancer screening. The Cancer Letter. https://cancerletter.com/clinical/20240301_1/
  26. ^ Wisse, P.A.H., et al. (2024). The multitarget faecal immunochemical test for improving stool-based colorectal cancer screening programmes: a Dutch population-based, paired-design, intervention study. The Lancet Oncology, 25.(3), 326-337. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00651-4
  27. ^ Hill, W., et al. (2023). Lung adenocarcinoma promotion by air pollutants. Nature, 616. 159–167. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-05874-3
  28. ^ Chen, X. et al. (2023). A membrane-associated MHC-I inhibitory axis for cancer immune evasion. Cell, 186.(18), 3903-3920.e21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.016
  29. ^ Soula, M., et al. (2024). Glycosphingolipid synthesis mediates immune evasion in KRAS-driven cancer. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07787-1
  30. ^ Stein-Thoeringer, C.K., et al. (2023). A non-antibiotic-disrupted gut microbiome is associated with clinical responses to CD19-CAR-T cell cancer immunotherapy. Nature Medicine 29, 906–916. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02234-6
  31. ^ Matthew, D., et al. (2024). Combined JAK inhibition and PD-1 immunotherapy for non–small cell lung cancer patients. Science, 384(6702). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adf1329
  32. ^ The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Appoints Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer. (2022, June 10). ASCO Post. https://ascopost.com/issues/june-10-2022/the-mark-foundation-for-cancer-research-appoints-ryan-schoenfeld-phd-as-chief-executive-officer/
  33. ^ Brazell, Dawn. (2022, April 11). MUSC Hollings Cancer Center director receives AACR Distinguished Service Award. Hollings Cancer Center. https://hollingscancercenter.musc.edu/news/archive/2022/04/11/musc-hollings-cancer-center-director-receives-aacr-distinguished-service-award
  34. ^ Board of Directors. (n.d.). The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. https://themarkfoundation.org/board-of-directors/
  35. ^ Advisory Committees. (n.d.). The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. https://themarkfoundation.org/advisory-committees/