Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is trending to move into second place within the next several years. The options available to treat pancreatic cancer have not significantly changed in decades.

Ben Stanger, MD, (University of Pennsylvania) is working to fix that. Partnering with cell and gene therapy leader Carl H. June, MD (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Stanger is embarking on a bold new study that has the potential to reshape the treatment of pancreatic cancer as we know it.

Read more about Dr. Stanger’s story on our website. 

Ovarian cancer is diagnosed in approximately 20,000 women in the U.S. each year, with a mortality rate over three times that of breast cancer.

ACGT is dedicated to its vision of a cancer-free future – including one where every woman can survive ovarian cancer. By funding novel cell and gene therapy research we hope to transform outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer through the development of cell and gene therapies that harness the power of the human immune system to kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. 

ACGT recently issued a request for applications for the 2025 Investigator Award in Cell and Gene Therapy for Gynecological Cancer Research, aimed at funding crucial cell and gene therapy research into ovarian and other gynecological cancers. ACGT will award these grants by the end of 2025.

Read more here.

This September, during Childhood Cancer Awareness month, ACGT highlights critical research that we are funding to change the lives of children and young adults diagnosed with cancer who do not respond to currently available treatments or who have cancers with no available therapies. Cancer remains the number one cause of disease-related death among children in the United States and Canada with approximately 10% of young cancer patients dying from their disease. Brain and CNS tumors are the leading cause of mortality despite overall progress.

This is why ACGT is funding collaborations and clinical trials across multiple academic institutions to advance new cell and gene therapies that have the potential not just to treat these deadly diseases, but to cure them.

Read more about ACGT Research Fellows who are working to bring better treatments to children with cancer and their families:

The STAR collaboration (Synthetic T cell Therapy Against Recurrent Pediatric Brain Tumors) led by Stephen Gottschalk, MD (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital), Crystal Mackall, MD (Stanford University), and Sheila Singh, MD, PhD, (McMaster University).

The PC-CAR collaboration (peptide-centric CAR cell therapy) and Phase 1 clinical trial in neuroblastoma led by John Maris, MD (Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania), and Hula Therapeutics.

A Phase 1 clinical trial for diffuse midline gliomas led by Hideho Okada, MD, PhD, and Sabine Mueller, MD, PhD (University of California, San Francisco).

September is a month of awareness — Ovarian Cancer Awareness, Childhood Cancer Awareness, and Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness. It’s a reminder that with awareness comes the opportunity to take action and create change.

For nearly 25 years, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy has been committed to advancing a deeper understanding of cancer biology and immunology and translating that knowledge into breakthrough treatments. Our focus on cell and gene therapy places us at the forefront of transforming how cancer is treated.

Awareness brings visibility to the urgent need for innovation. But change only happens when awareness is paired with action. Each donation to ACGT fuels pioneering research, helps promising therapies move from the lab to the clinic, and brings hope to patients and families.

ACGT is uniquely positioned to accelerate progress. By supporting ACGT during this important month of awareness, you are part of a movement that is reshaping the future of cancer treatment. Together, we can ensure that the science of today becomes the cure of tomorrow.

Help ACGT work toward a cancer-free future by making a donation today!

September is Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month, marking a month of recognition for the cancer types that proved to be the first successful frontier in the application of cell and gene therapy for cancer treatment.

Today, there are four cell and gene therapies approved by the FDA to treat certain types of leukemia or lymphoma, giving patients new hope that their blood cancer can be defeated. These approvals trace back to cancer research breakthroughs sparked by ACGT funding. 

In 2004, the foundation awarded research grants to Carl H. June, MD (University of Pennsylvania), and Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), whose work led to the first two FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies for cancer: Kymriah and Yescarta. Since then, two more CAR T-cell therapies for blood cancer have been approved: Tecartus for mantle cell or acute lymphoblastic lymphoma, and Breyanzi for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

This monumental leap forward in transforming cancer treatment was made possible through funding from ACGT to conduct the first ever clinical trials with CAR T cells in leukemia patients.

ACGT congratulates its Scientific Advisory Council members and Research Fellows on the announcement of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Awards Recipients, 2025.

The 2025 Richard V. Smalley Memorial Award and Lectureship is awarded to Ira Mellman, PhD, FAACR, FAIO (Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Medici Therapeutics). Dr. Mellman serves on the ACGT Scientific Advisory Council (SAC).

A SITC Collaboration Award is being presented to the ACGT – Barbara Netter Fund Challenge STAR collaboration (Synthetic T cell Therapy Against Recurrent Pediatric Brain Tumors). The collaboration is led by Stephen Gottschalk, MD (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital), Crystal Mackall, MD (Stanford University), and Sheila Singh, MD, PhD (McMaster University), with additional team members including Hongbo Chi, PhD, Giedre Krenciute, PhD, Stephen C. Mack, PhD (St. Judge Children’s Research Hospital) and Sabine Heitzeneder, MD (Stanford University).

In addition, ACGT SAC Chair Michael T. Lotze, MD (University of Pittsburgh), and ACGT Research Fellow George Coukos, MD, PhD (Ludwig Cancer Research) are both being honored as 2025 SITC Fellows of the Academy of Immuno-Oncology in recognition of their contributions to the field of cancer immunotherapy.

ACGT will celebrate the awards and enjoy presentations from the awardees during the annual ACGT lunch symposium which will be held on Friday, November 7 during the SITC Annual Meeting.