Accelerating Cancer Cures is a multi-million-dollar project that will train a new generation of exceptional clinical investigators capable of translating the latest scientific discoveries into new diagnostics and therapeutics for patients.The initiative also fosters communication and collaboration between academia and industry. Accelerating Cancer Cures is currently sponsored by some of the world’s leading companies: AbbVie, Amgen, Genentech, Merck, and Novartis.
The Collaborators
Accelerating Cancer Cures is supported by leading biopharmaceutical companies who are committed to finding new cures for cancer. Founded in 2011, the initiative has included numerous participants: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and Takeda Oncology. Competitors in the marketplace, these companies have a shared belief that funding young physician-scientists with a commitment to innovation in cancer research will have a profound impact on the next generation of cancer breakthroughs.
View our current Accelerating Cancer Cures advisory committee.
Accelerating Cancer Cures symposium
The annual Accelerating Cancer Cures Research Symposium is designed to foster communication and collaboration between cancer researchers in industry and academia. Past meetings have included participants from Eli Lilly and Company, AbbVie, Amgen, ARIAD, Celgene, Genentech, Gilead, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Co., in addition to academic researchers from the top universities and institutions in the nation.
Save the date: March 24, 2026
The 2026 Accelerating Cancer Cures Research Symposium will be hosted by Amgen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The agenda will feature scientific presentations from current Damon Runyon Awardees, a keynote, and a roundtable discussion among scientists.
Past meetings
March 27, 2025
Hosted by Novartis, Cambridge, Massachusetts
March 7, 2024
Hosted by AbbVie, South San Francisco, California
March 9, 2023
Hosted by Amgen, South San Francisco, California
May 19, 2022
Hosted by Merck, South San Francisco, California
October 28, 2020
Hosted by Merck, Virtual
March 8, 2019
Hosted by Lilly Oncology, New York, New York
March 28, 2018
Hosted by Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California
March 6, 2017
Hosted by Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
March 3, 2016
Hosted by Celgene, Summit, New Jersey
March 3, 2015
Hosted by Lilly Oncology, New York, New York
March 11, 2014
Hosted by Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California
March 4, 2013
Hosted by Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Co., Cambridge, Massachusetts
March 3, 2012
Hosted by Pfizer, New York, New York
