We are partnering with other funding organizations to support the most critical projects. The program also coordinates workshops and small meetings with clinical and scientific experts around the globe to define roadmaps for specific disease indications and enable communication and collaboration on study design. To learn more about the key milestones of the program, this video from the Foundation’s Chief Scientific Officer, Jessica Foley, PhD, provides a high-level overview of the program and progress to date.
Additional program activities include:
Funding Worldwide Research
Over the past several years, the Foundation (alone or with its partners) has funded 20 worldwide research studies examining focused ultrasound’s ability to trigger the body’s immune system to fight cancer. These projects cover a broad range of preclinical, translational, and clinical applications within cancer immunotherapy, including glioblastoma, melanoma brain metastases, breast cancer, ovarian and cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, sarcoma, and more. Descriptions of all funded immunotherapy projects, along with instructions on how to apply for funding, can be found on our website.
Workshops and Symposia
Since 2015, the Foundation, in partnership with the Cancer Research Institute, has organized and hosted four workshops on Cancer Immunotherapy and Focused Ultrasound. These workshops convened leaders in cancer immunotherapy and focused ultrasound from academia, industry, government, and advocacy to discuss the state of the field, determine next steps, and set priorities for therapies using focused ultrasound in combination with several types of immunotherapy.
Special sessions of our biennial symposia and other workshops (noted below) have also covered cancer immunotherapy.
Workshop Summaries
- Focused Ultrasound and Cancer Immunotherapy Workshop (PDF) September 1-2, 2021
- Focused Ultrasound and Cancer Immunotherapy Workshop (PDF) July 18–19, 2019
- Focused Ultrasound and Pancreatic Cancer Workshop (PDF) February 28–March 1, 2019
- Immunotherapy Summit (PDF) October 14, 2016
- Focused Ultrasound for Glioblastoma Workshop (PDF) November 9–10, 2015
- Alzheimer’s Workshop (PDF) September 17–18, 2015
- Immunotherapy Workshop (PDF) February 11, 2015
Symposia Summaries
- Focused Ultrasound Foundation Symposium Summary 2018 (PDF)
- Focused Ultrasound Foundation Symposium Summary 2016 (PDF)
- Focused Ultrasound Foundation Symposium Summary 2014 (PDF)
Partnerships
The Foundation knows that collaboration is critical to achieve our goals of bringing new focused ultrasound and cancer immunotherapy treatments to patients as quickly as possible. Therefore, we have built important and strategic partnerships with leading cancer organizations whose expertise and advice are critical. We value our relationships with the Cancer Research Institute, the Melanoma Research Alliance, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and Pancreatic Cancer UK. We will continue efforts to partner with like-minded organizations that seek to rapidly improve medical care for patients who are battling cancer.
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Webinars and Blogs
After launching the program with an “Immunotherapy 101” webinar in 2015 and partnering with the Cancer Research Institute in 2017, the Foundation’s scientific team produced webinars on cancer immunotherapy combination therapies and immunotherapy for brain tumors. Furthermore, the Foundation’s newsletter has featured guest blog posts from the CEO of the Cancer Research Institute, Dr. Jill O’Donnell Tormey, and University of Washington physician and researcher, Dr. Joo Ha Hwang. Additional webinars and videos for Cancer Immunotherapy Month are highlighted below.
Cancer Immunotherapy Treatment and Research in a COVID-19 World
Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, PhD, CEO of the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) and the Foundation’s Chief Scientific Officer, Jessica Foley, PhD, discuss cancer immunotherapy and the ways that CRI and the Foundation are working together to advance exciting research, through a lens of the new COVID-19 environment.
Focused Ultrasound and Cancer Immunotherapy
The Foundation’s Chief Scientific Officer Jessica Foley, PhD, discusses focused ultrasound and its potential role in cancer immunotherapy.
An Introduction to Cancer Immunotherapy and Focused Ultrasound
Kelsie Timbie, PhD, Scientific Programs Manager and Veterinary Program Director, provides an introduction to how the fields of focused ultrasound and cancer immunotherapy intersect.